Overview
- Drew McOnie’s non‑replica revival of Cats officially opened at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre on Thursday, August 6, to strong reviews for its choreography and staging.
- Cats: The Jellicle Ball played its final performance on Saturday, August 8, after 142 performances and 21 previews despite winning three 2026 Tony Awards for direction, choreography, and costume design.
- Critics singled out fresh choreography and standout performances on the London production, naming Taziva‑Faye Katsande, Jaydon Vijn, and Jet Yau among the highlights.
- Lloyd Webber’s licensing house now requires uniquely conceived, non‑replica stagings, which produced the London show’s feline approach and the Broadway revival’s ballroom/human reinterpretation.
- Andrew Lloyd Webber said he was “gutted” by the Broadway closing and producers confirmed a Jellicle Ball cast recording for release by Atlantic Records this winter, a development that has focused attention on Broadway’s rising rents and operating costs and could prompt calls for changes to the industry’s financial model.