By Simon Kershaw | Posted on October 09, 2025 11:32 AM
Cats: The Jellicle Ball Aims to Rewrite Broadway History in 2026 After Past Misfires, Transforming Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Classic Into a Bold Ballroom-Inspired Revival Following the 2016 Revival’s Weak Ticket Sales.
When Cats: The Jellicle Ball begins previews at the Broadhurst Theatre on March 18, 2026, it won’t just be another revival—it will be a redemption story. The ballroom- and vogue-inspired reinterpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s megahit is attempting to restore luster to a franchise that stumbled both on Broadway and on screen in recent years.
A Storied Legacy with Bumpy Revivals
The original Cats, which opened in 1982 at the Winter Garden Theatre, reigned as one of Broadway’s longest-running musicals. Yet when it returned in 2016, the reception was far chillier. Critics called that revival “faithful to a fault,” and despite its pedigree, it limped through 16 months before closing amid soft sales and muted enthusiasm. Then came the 2019 film adaptation, which became a pop-culture punchline for its uncanny visual effects and muddled tone, drawing more mockery than magic.
A Bold New Vision
Now, co-directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch—joined by choreographers Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles—are reinventing the musical from the ground up. Their Jellicle Ball version reimagines the moonlit cat tribe through the lens of New York’s ballroom and vogue culture, where chosen family, identity, and self-expression define the night. The show retains Webber’s music and T.S. Eliot’s poetry, but the aesthetic, movement, and emotional core have been transformed into something unapologetically modern.
Show Financial Failure in 2016
When Cats returned to Broadway in 2016, the revival at the Neil Simon Theatre struggled to recapture the financial magic of the original 1980s run. Despite strong initial curiosity, attendance quickly softened, and the production’s grosses averaged around $700,000–$850,000 per week, well below its potential and well below its running costs of nearly $1 Million per week.
Top premium seats reached about $275, but heavy ticket discounting—often brought tickets down to $59–$89—became common as the run continued. By the time it closed in December 2017, the revival had recouped only part of its costs, finishing with a modest loss despite a healthy tourist turnout.
Cats: The Jellicle Ball Tickets
For the upcoming 2026 Broadway revival, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, ticket pricing has not yet been announced. Producers have hinted that the show will use dynamic ticket pricing similar to other high-demand revivals, but official ticket prices remain under wraps. Public ticket sales will begin Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., marking the start of the production’s highly anticipated new chapter.
Breaking Free from the Past
Producers Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals and Mike Bosner hope the production’s inclusivity and cultural relevance will attract new audiences and silence skeptics who once dismissed the property as dated. Featuring André De Shields as Old Deuteronomy, the revival leans on theatrical authenticity and community rather than nostalgia alone.
Why It Matters
If The Jellicle Ball succeeds, it won’t just resuscitate a franchise—it will prove that Broadway can evolve its most famous titles to reflect contemporary artistry. After the cold reception of Cats’ last life, this new incarnation is ready to leap, claws out, into something bolder, braver, and unmistakably alive.
