Cats (musical)
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Cats is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is based on the 1939 poetry collection Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make the "Jellicle choice" by deciding which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. As of 2022, Cats remains the fifth-longest-running Broadway show and the seventh-longest-running West End show.
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Eliot's poetry provided most of the lyrics for Cats
The original 1981 London cast of Cats
From left to right: Old Deuteronomy, Jemima, Grizabella and Victoria during an event in Germany, 2011.
Andrew Lloyd Webber
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Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber, is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, two film scores, and a Latin Requiem Mass.
Lloyd Webber in 2006
Lloyd Webber studied at the Royal College of Music in London as did his father William. In 2014, he received an honorary doctorate from the college for his "contribution to musical life".
Jesus Christ Superstar, starring Paul Nicholas, at the Palace Theatre, London in 1972. Its success saw Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice expand and release their previous biblical-based musical Joseph.
Evita at the West End's Adelphi Theatre. Lloyd Webber purchased the theatre in 1993.