CATS Continues to Claw Round the Globe as it Takes the Stage in Dubai

According to The National, Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS is set to take the stage in Dubai for a two week run from January 15 through the 28th. Tickets can be purchased through Dh275 at www.dubaiopera.com.

Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," a work of poems written from the perspective of house pets without a cohesive narrative, the original Broadway production opened in 1982 at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre, where it ran for 7,485 performances and 18 years. While even today many may question the eccentric construction of the production, Rob Garratt notes that CATS revolutionized West End theatre and rewrote the recipe for a successful musical.

Since its world premiere, CATS has been presented in over 30 countries, has been translated into 15 languages, and has been seen by more than 73 million people worldwide; however, like most shows, CATS struggled to find its start. Garratt reports that just before the premiere even cast members were asked to contribute money. Producers were wary of a dance-based show, which had not yet been successfully mounted on a West End stage. Lloyd-Webber was quoted as saying "it's a show we were told would be impossible to do, which is precisely why we're doing it."

Not only did CATS succeed in the theatrical realm, the show quickly permeated popular culture. The show art is universally recognizable, and CATS hit song "Memory" has been recorded by over 150 artists from Barbra Streisand and Johnny Mathis to Liberace and Barry Manilow.

Both the original London and Broadway cast recordings won Grammy Awards for Best Cast Album. The Tony Award-winning Best Musical held the title of longest-running musical in Broadway history until it was surpassed in 2006 by Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. The original Broadway production closed on September 10, 2000 and is currently the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history.

Broadway is currently hosting the first New York revival of the beloved musical.

Read Garratt's article for The National here.