"Cats" is based on a collection of poems written by a man often regarded as the greatest poet of the 20th century, T.S. Eliot. The collection, titled "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," seems an unlikely source for a live-action musical, yet the success of the show quickly disproved any doubt that such a task could be accomplished.
The opening meow in the long history of the success of "Cats" occurred on May 11, 1981, at the New London Theatre in London's famed West End. Concern over the potential for making a hit musical out of an obscure collection of a poems by a notorious difficult to understand poet was compounded when Judy Dench, the original Grizabella, was injured and had to be replaced by Elaine Page.
"Cats" debuted in Broadway on October 7, 1982, at the Winter Garden Theatre. That night would begin a string of performances that would not come to an end until June 19, 1997, after 6,138 performances. That record would be surpassed by "Phantom of the Opera" in 2006, and "Cats" remains the second longest running musical in the history of Broadway.
The composer of "Cats" is Andrew Lloyd Webber, who also happens to be the composer of "Phantom of the Opera," thereby making him responsible for the two longest running musicals in Broadway history. Webber has claimed that his inspiration for writing "Cats" came about as the result of Eliot's collection of poetry being a favorite of his when he was a child. "Cats" was the first musical that Webber wrote without having a lyricist; instead he simply put Eliot's original verse to music.
All of the characters in "Cats" are cats. Human actors wear extravagant makeup and costumes to complete the illusion. The main characters are Grizabella, a former Glamour Cat fallen on hard times due to age; Rum Tum Tugger, a sexy tomcat; Munkustrap who acts as the narrator, and Macavity, the villain of the show.
In addition to being an enormous commercial success, "Cats" was also a critical success. The original production was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won seven. Among the awards that "Cats" won were Best Director, Best Featured Actress (Betty Buckley), Best Original Score, Best Book for a Musical and Best Musical.