CATS
Broadway Returns to Mahalia Jackson Theater

For the first time since Hurricane Katrina, Broadway is back in New Orleans. Cats the musical opened last night, October 27th, at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for Performing Arts. The entire production was first class: from the elaborate costumes and make-up to the dramatic lighting and set design. Touching, entertaining, and often humorous, the performance showcased amazing talent in song and dance.

Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. It introduced the song standard "Memory.” The musical first opened in the West End in 1981 and then on Broadway in 1982, in each case directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Gillian Lynne. It won numerous awards, including both the Laurence Olivier Award and the Tony Award for Best Musical. The London production ran for 21 years and the Broadway production for eighteen years, in both cases setting historical long-run records. Now, this historic Broadway musical in back in the Big Easy.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication to bring back the Mahalia Jackson Theater and adjacent Armstrong Park, which re-opened this past January, the City now has a state-of-the-art facility to accommodate major productions like Broadway Across America. Following Cats, Broadway Across America will also present "The Color Purple," "Mamma Mia!," "Wicked," and "Avenue Q.”

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.mahaliajacksontheater.com.