CATS

CATS is coming to the Sunderland Empire from 26 to 30 January 2027, a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie. It's a short run, just five days, so if you're planning to go, you'll want to pick your date early.

For those who haven't seen it, the show is based on T.S. Eliot's 1939 anthology Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. The story centres on the annual Jellicle Ball, where a tribe of street cats gather to be entertained by their leader, Old Deuteronomy. It's a choreography-heavy show rather than a conventional plot-driven musical, so the dancing takes centre stage over a linear story. It originally opened in 1981, created by Lloyd Webber alongside Cameron Mackintosh, with original direction by Trevor Nunn and choreography by Gillian Lyne, later updated by Andy Blankenbuehler.

The cast for this production includes Kalisha Amaris as Old Deuteronomy, with Louise Dearman, Alice Fearn and Rachael Wooding sharing the role of Grizabella. Matthew Caputo plays Skimbleshanks, Diante Lodge is Macavity, Jaydon Vijn takes on Rum Tum Tugger, Jack Wilcox is Munkustrap, and Jet Yau plays Mr Mistoffelees, with many more joining the ensemble. The show runs about two hours and 20 minutes, including one intermission, so you'll be in your seat for a good stretch of the evening.