Andrew Lloyd Webber brings hit musical ‘Cats’ back to Broadway

NEW YORK (Reuters) – “Cats”, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical based on poet T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”, has returned to Broadway after 16 years.

The revival show, starring singer Leona Lewis, had its official opening on Sunday at the Neil Simon Theater. “Cats” debuted in London’s West End in 1981 and came to Broadway a year later, going through 7,485 performances before closing in 2000.

“I think you’ll probably find that it’s absolutely the ‘Cats’ you remember,” said Lloyd Webber, known for other hit musicals like “The Phantom of the Opera”.

“We’ve condensed a couple of things. There’s one…song in the show I was never particularly keen on myself and that’s gone now, which is a great, great pleasure. We’ve done quite a lot of work and I think we’re quite pleased with it.”

The award-winning show has been seen by audiences in more than 30 countries and translated into 15 languages.

(Reporting By Reuters Television; Editing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian)