A New Day Has Begun! Revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats Sets West End Dates; Rum Tum Tugger Will Go Hip-Hop

The previously reported revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats has set the dates it will return to the West End. The tuner will play a limited engagement December 6 through February 28, 2015 at the London Palladium, with opening night scheduled for December 11. Based on the current U.K. touring show, Lloyd Webber is busy making some updates.

“I’m going to make Rum Tum Tugger a contemporary street cat and he has to do hip-hop. That will be a completely new way of doing it." The composer told London's Evening Standard.“I’ve come to the conclusion that Rum Tum Tugger was possibly the first ever rap song. TS Eliot clearly anticipated rapping in his metres.”

Cats ran for 21 years in London and 18 years on Broadway, where it won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical. Based on T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, the musical tells the story of the Jellicle cats and each cat's individual quest to be selected as the lucky one that will ascend to "the heavyside layer." In their desire to be chosen to rise above to cat heaven, each cat sings his or her story. Cats features the Billboard top 40 hit “Memory."

Director Trevor Nunn, designer John Napier, choreographer Gillian Lynne and Lloyd Webber will be directly overseeing the transfer along with Lloyd Webber.

Check out the Rum Tum Tugger in action below!