Reviews: What Do the Critics Think Of Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway?

Key Points:

• Cats: The Jellicle Ball, a reimagined revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, officially opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 7, featuring Jellicle cats as drag ball contestants with runway looks.
• The production brings back much of the original Off-Broadway cast alongside new performers, including Tony winner André De Shields and Legendary head judge Leiomy, and incorporates vogueing-infused choreography and dance music-inspired beats.
• The show transforms the original 1979 musical, which was based on T.S. Eliot's poetry and featured ballet-inspired dance, into a celebration of Ballroom culture, highlighting its roots in the Black and Latino LGBTQIA+ communities.
• The Broadway production includes innovative staging with onstage seating flanking a ballroom runway and is helmed by co-directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, with a creative team featuring designers and consultants specializing in inclusivity and authenticity.
• Cats: The Jellicle Ball is the second Broadway revival of Cats, following the original 1982 production that won seven Tony Awards and ran until 2000, with producers Michael Harrison and Mike Bosner leading this latest iteration.