[title]
Love him or hate him, Andrew Lloyd Webber absolutely cannot stop winning at the moment.
Four years ago the musical theatre titan was at low ebb: declaring he’d rather go to prison than allow his extremely mid new musical Cinderella to open with social distancing was not be any stretch of the imagination his finest hour.
There has been no new musical since then, although him and Tim Rice have written the songs for this year’s Birmingham Rep Christmas production, and a full scale new one called The Illusionist is now in the works. But his back catalogue has yielded hit after hit as the memories of naff ’80s productions that ran for years and years have been put behind us and hipper, younger directors have given us sexy new interpretations. Foremost among these is Jamie Lloyd, whose gloriously iconoclastic revamps of Sunset Boulevard and Evita are some of the most talked about shows of modern times. And let’s not forget Luke Shepherd’s take on Starlight Express, which has been packing ’em in over in Wembley Park for couple of years now.
And now it’s time for Cats. The original 1981 production of Webber’s adaptation of TS Elliot’s children’s poetry collection Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats ran for 21 years, and then came back to the West End in 2014 and 2015 in a slightly revamped version that included a rapping Rum Tum Tugger, something we basically all now try and forget. As we do the 2019 film version, which horrified the world only marginally less than the following year’s pandemic.
But a cool immersive off-Broadway version called Cats: The Jellicle Ball has been picking up great notices in recent months. And now it’s time for the Brits to have a go, as the second UK production of Cats ever debuts at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre next summer.
We don’t know a huge amount about it other than ‘it’s happening’. Occupying the ‘main’ July to September summer slot at the OAT, the new Cats will be directed and choreographed by the theatre’s new boss Drew McOnie. Beyond that there’s no cast or creative announced and no idea what McOnie’s take will specifically involve. McOnie is less likely to do something outrageous than Lloyd, but at the same time he’s young and likes to bring the dance side of things to the fore – expect a move away from the legwarmers plus facepaint of yore.
Whatever the case, it’s clearly going to be a big deal, with an extensive UK tour following the summer run in London. Could a West End run be on the cards after that? You’d have to think it’s possible. But that’s all speculation: for now the only thing we know for sure is that musical theatre’s most beloved felines will be heading to London’s most enchanting theatre next summer.
Cats is at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Jul 25-Sep 12 2026. Tickets go on sale Oct 28.
The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2025 and 2026.
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.