Overview
- Drew McOnie’s new production officially opened on Thursday, August 6, at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and will run in London until 19 September before touring the UK through June 2027.
- Critics praise McOnie’s choreography for mixing jazz, street and break‑dance elements and single out Jet Yau’s breakdancing Mr. Mistoffelees as a show highlight.
- Reviewers also applaud Sami Fendall’s set, costume and wig work plus Jessica Hung Han Yun’s lighting, saying the outdoor staging gains power after sunset when the design transforms.
- Several reviews note that bold character reworkings—such as a Krampus‑like Macavity and sexed‑up Rum Tum Tugger—refresh the show but that Cats’ famously plotless structure still limits how transformative any revival can feel.
- The production follows Lloyd Webber’s new licensing requirement for non‑replica designs and sits within a wider trend of recent reimagined Lloyd Webber revivals, renewing audience interest in the composer's catalogue.