‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’ to close on Broadway

The reimagined revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical won three Tony Awards in 2026, including Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography.

Summary

• Cats: The Jellicle Ball will close on Broadway on August 8
• The musical revival reimagines Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats in NYC’s queer ballroom scene
• The show won Tony Awards for its direction; choreography; and costume design in 2026

It’s your last chance to attend the ball, kittens. Cats: The Jellicle Ball has set a Broadway closing date of August 8 at the Broadhurst Theatre.

Cats: The Jellicle Ball is a reimagined version of the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats in which the felines are now human contestants at an LGBTQ+ ballroom competition in New York City. For its 2024 Off-Broadway premiere at the Perelman Performing Arts Center and 2026 Broadway transfer, it won widespread acclaim and numerous awards.

“Cats: The Jellicle Ball’s nervy fun, total sincerity, and embrace of over-the-top theatricality are already reason enough for the curious cat to check it out,” New York Theatre Guide’s rave review reads. “But that it turns Cats into an electrifying community that audiences get to join makes The Jellicle Ball the must-see show of this or any season, and the bar against which revivals of canon shows should be measured against.”

The cast of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, many of whom reprise their roles from the Off-Broadway run, are 2026 Tony nominee André De Shields as Old Deuteronomy, Jonathan Burke as Mungojerrie, Baby Byrne as Victoria, Sydney James Harcourt as Rum Tum Tugger, Dava Huesca as Rumpleteazer, Dudney Joseph Jr. as Munkustrap, Junior LaBeija as Gus, Robert “Silk” Mason as Magical Mister Mistoffelees, “Tempress” Chasity Moore as Grizabella, Primo as Tumblebrutus, Xavier Reyes as Jennyanydots, Nora Schell as Bustopher Jones, Bebe Nicole Simpson as Demeter, Emma Sofia as Cassandra/Skimbleshanks, Garnet Williams as Bombalurina, Teddy Wilson, Jr. as Sillabub, Ken Ard as DJ Griddlebone, Kya Azeen as Etcetera, Bryson Battle as Jellylorum, and Leiomy as Macavity.

Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch direct, and Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons choreograph. All won 2026 Tony Awards for their work, as did costume designer Qween Jean.

Producers Michael Harrison and Mike Bosner said in a statement, “Three years ago, Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch began the remarkable process of reimagining Cats for a new generation. They assembled a visionary creative team that fused their passions for Ballroom and theatre to create something thrillingly new. With a truly superhuman cast bringing this vision to life, New York has once again discovered the phenomenon that has become Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats: The Jellicle Ball. The joy that radiates from the stage each night is unlike anything we’ve experienced in our careers. It has been a true honor to help bring Ballroom to Broadway.”

The production will be filmed for the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive at the New York Public Library.

Learn more about Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway.

Get Cats: The Jellicle Ball tickets now.

Photo credit: Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway. (Photo by Matthew Murphy)