CATS 
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Based on Old Possum’s Book Of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot

CATS is set amongst a larger-than-life junkyard playground and is alive with purr-fect felines including Rum Tum Tugger, Mr. Mistoffelees, Macavity, Jennyanydots, Old Deuteronomy, Skimbleshanks and Grizabella.

The Jellicle Cats come out to play on one special night of the year—the night of the Jellicle Ball. One by one they tell their stories for the amusement of Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, who must choose one of the Cats to ascend to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.

Originally directed by Trevor Nunn and featuring musical staging by Gillian Lynne, the all-singing, all-dancing Tony-winning musical spectacular has been translated into 16 languages. With universal appeal and an expandable cast of different age groups, the show has not only been presented in theatres, but also in tents in Japan and Korea, an engine shed in Switzerland, and school gymnasiums across the U.S.A.

History

CATS, one of the longest-running shows in West End and Broadway history, received its world premiere at the New London Theatre in 1981, where it played for 21 record-breaking years and almost 9,000 performances. The groundbreaking production was the winner of the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical.

The following year, CATS opened at New York’s Winter Garden Theatre, its home for the next 18 years, garnering seven 1983 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The show returned to Broadway in 2016, where it had a successful pre-tour run at the Neil Simon Theatre.

CATS has been presented in over 30 countries, translated into 16 languages, and seen by more than 73 million people worldwide. The original Broadway cast recording won the Grammy Award for Best Cast Album.

Lloyd Webber’s magnificent musical score includes the poignant hit song “Memory,” which has been recorded by over 150 artists from Barbra Streisand to Liberace to Barry Manilow.

A big screen adaptation, directed by Tom Hooper, opened in December 2019, starring Jennifer Hudson, Judi Dench, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, James Corden, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Ian McKellen and Francesca Hayward.

For 56 years, Workshop Theatre has been the creative domain of many of the area's most talented actors, directors, and technicians. It is a place where those who love the theatre join in a community that values the pulsing experience of live theatre. 

Workshop Theatre's mission is to provide theatre of the highest quality for audiences of all ages. Workshop Theatre shall serve as a creative outlet for all its participants, including its audiences both present and future, its various directors, actors, designers, playwrights and technicians. Workshop Theatre is committed to training in theatre arts, both formally in an education program and informally through production experience. Workshop expects to challenge as well as satisfy its varied audiences.

Workshop Theatre is supported in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Workshop is also receives funding from the City of Columbia H-tax Grant funding program.

We need volunteers in every part of our productions. If you are interested in being a member of the Workshop crew, please contact us at [email protected]