Service Dog Runs Amok During CATS Opening Number!

We've all heard the old expression 'fights like Cats and dogs.' Well a service dog who was present at a recent performance of Broadway's Cats may have taken the phrase to a whole new level at the Neil Simon Theater!

According to Page Six of the New York Post, an audience member's service dog "got away from its owner and ran after [the character] Bombalurina, performed by actress Mackenzie Warren, during the opening number." According to sources, a quick-thinking usher "intervened and returned the wayward canine to its mortified owner."

The incident was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, who shared, "In the storied history of 'Cats,' this is the first time one of the actual Cats was involved in an incident with a dog. We're pleased to report that no animals or humans were harmed in the dust-up, and the performance continued without a hitch."

Now in performances at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 W 52nd Street) the first-ever Broadway revival of Cats will play its final performance at 8 PM on Saturday, December 30, 2017 after 16 previews and 593 regular performances. Preview performances of Cats began Thursday, July 14, 2016 followed by a Sunday, July 31, 2016 opening night.

The Cats National Tour will officially open at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, in January 2019 before traveling to additional cities throughout the country, including Chicago, Durham, and Los Angeles. The full tour schedule and other information will be announced shortly.

The creative team for the new Broadway production of Cats includes John Napier (Scenic & Costume Design), Natasha Katz (Lighting Design), Mick Potter (Sound Design), choreography byAndy Blankenbuehler, based on the original choreography by Gillian Lynne, and direction by Trevor Nunn.

Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," the original Broadway production opened in 1982 at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre (currently home to Lloyd Webber's newest hit, School of Rock - The Musical), where it ran for 7,485 performances and 18 years. Cats was originally produced on Broadway by Cameron Mackintosh, The Really Useful Company Limited, David Geffen, and The Shubert Organization.

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy