‘Cats’ Takes Off on UK Tour February 9

“Cats” will launch a new tour of the U.K. early next year, producers announced recently.

The well-known musical will begin the tour on February 9, 2013 in Edinburgh, and will then visit Aberdeen, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Bradford, Hull, Sunderland, Southampton, Milton Keynes, Woking, Ostend and Dublin. No dates or venues for these cities have yet been announced, but will be coming soon.

The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is the fourth longest-running musical in West End history, running for 21 years and nearly 9,000 performances after opening in May 1981. The show also became the second-longest running show in Broadway history, second only to “The Phantom of the Opera.” After opening on Broadway in 1982, it ran for 18 years. It also won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Director.

Touring versions of the production have been very popular, as well, and it is estimated that over 50 million people have seen the show. It has toured in over 300 cities in 26 countries throughout the years, being performed in at least 10 different languages.

The musical last toured the U.K. in 2008, where it sold out venues across the country. That tour was presented by David Ian, who also is responsible for the new tour.

Webber adapted “Cats” from T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” and the record-breaking production is directed by Trevor Nunn. Gillian Lynne is responsible for choreography, and costume design is by John Napier.

The musical tells the story of the night that all Jellicle cats hold the Jellicle Ball, where their leader Old Deuteronomy announces which of them will be born into a new life after going up to the heaviside layer.

There have been rumors of upcoming West End and Broadway revivals of the famous musical, though no confirmations have yet been made.