'A Revolution of Joy': Cats: The Jellicle Ball Opens on Broadway

The cast of the reimagined Cats shares how the production fuses Ballroom culture, community and high-energy audience interaction

On the Scene

by Sophia Rubino • Apr 9, 2026

Junior LaBeija at opening night of "Cats: The Jellicle Ball"

What to Know

Cats: The Jellicle Ball opens on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, reimagining Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical through the lens of Ballroom culture after a buzzy off-Broadway run
The production, directed by Zhailon Livingston and Bill Rauch, features immersive audience interaction, high-energy performances and a cast celebrating inclusivity, joy and community on stage
Stars including Ken Ard, Junior LaBeija and Chasity Moore highlight the production’s cultural impact, calling it a “revolution of joy” that amplifies underrepresented voices in musical theater

Cats: The Jellicle Ball is a fresh take on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic moggy musical, set not in a junkyard but at the heart of the Ballroom scene. Directed by Zhailon Livingston and Bill Rauch, the production transferred to Broadway after a much meowed about off-Broadway run at the Perelman Performing Arts Center. The Jellicle moon shone brightly as Cats: The Jellicle Ball opened on April 7 at the Broadhurst Theatre, and Broadway.com spoke with the fabulous cast of cats on the carpet.

Ken Ard, who played the original Macavity in Cats on Broadway, is DJ Griddlebone this time around—responsible for turning up the tunes. Comparing the two productions, Ard says, “The joy that it brought 45 years ago was amazing, but the joy that this show brings is monumental.” As audience members exit the theater, they're often singing and dancing, left in an exuberant mood post-show.

Paris Is Burning emcee and star of Cats: The Jellicle Ball Junior LaBeija describes the musical as “a merging of two world powers—two world arts—in one place.” In his Broadway debut, The Jellicle Ball shines a spotlight on Ballroom culture, as Paris Is Burning did when it first premiered.

One thing this Cats does differently is encourage respectful audience interaction with the cast. It is not hard to bounce off of the good vibes on stage. As Emma Sofia, who plays both Cassandra and Skimbleshanks puts it, “We are here. We are the revolution of joy.” That decision is reframing not only the relationship between audience and performer, but the industry as a whole.

“The glass ceilings we’re breaking are sort of endless,” says Sydney James Harcourt, who plays Rum Tum Tugger. This specific iteration of the show is providing a platform for many performers who did not feel as though they fit in the musical theater space. “This is my purpose: To speak for those who are othered,” says “Tempress” Chasity Moore, who plays Grizabella. “This is a redemption story for ‘Tempress,’ for Grizabella and for everybody else who ever felt othered.”

Get tickets to Cats: The Jellicle Ball!