Cats will play 12 week engagement at London Palladium

It has now been confirmed that Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats, based on T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, will return to the West End, playing a 12 week limited engagement at the London Palladium from early December 2014.

Cats was originally directed by Trevor Nunn, with choreography by Gillian Lynne and scenic design by John Napier, and produced by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group Ltd. The London Palladium production will be directed by Chrissie Cartwright.

Synopsis: 'On just one special night of the year, all Jellicle cats meet at the Jellicle Ball where Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, makes the Jellicle choice and announces which of them will go up to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.'

Cats received both the Olivier and Tony Award for Best Musical for its original productions in the West End in 1981 and on Broadway in 1983. The West End production opened at the New London Theatre and played for a record-breaking 21 years - almost 9,000 performances. The Broadway production, which opened at the Winter Garden Theatre, and ran for 18 years. To this day, it is still the second longest-running show in Broadway history (behind 'The Phantom of the Opera'). In total, Cats has been performed in over 26 countries, translated into 10 languages and has entertained a global audience of over 50 million people. The Cast Recordings won Grammy Awards and feature classic showtunes, such as "Mr. Mistoffelees", "Macavity: The Mystery Cat" and the standard "Memory".

Tickets go on sale on 07 Jul 2014. Further information, dates and casting will be announced shortly.