‘Cats’ Returning to Broadway in July

Previews will begin July 14 ahead of an August 2 opening at the Neil Simon Theatre.

Although original director Trevor Nunn is due to return, no casting decisions have yet been made.

“Cats”, the musical, which became an iconic hit and one of the longest-running shows on Broadway, will return to Broadway this summer, producers announced on Thursday.

In a statement, co-producers The Shubert Organization and The Nederlander Organization said: ‘In 1982, the arrival of CATS took Broadway by storm. Regardless, the revival will give Lord Lloyd Webber three Broadway shows running concurrently, including The Phantom Of The Opera and the recently opened School Of Rock – The Musical. Of interest is that The Really Useful Group, Lloyd Webber’s company, is licensing the production but not producing.

World-wide, the show has been presented in more than 30 countries and translated into 15 languages. The New York production is now the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history.

The new creative team will include Andy Blankenbuehler as choreographer, Natasha Katz as lighting designer and John Napier doing scenic and costume designs.

Cats first debuted on Broadway in 1982 and went on to win seven Tonys. As promised, Andrew Lloyd Webber is bringing his Tony-winning musical Cats back to the Great White Way. Both the original London and Broadway cast recordings won Grammy Awards for Best Cast Album. This scourge to the ears of ’80s children with theater-loving parents ascended to the Heaviside Layer of fame after Barbra Streisand recorded it for her 1981 album, Memories.