File:Educational Encore with the 3rd National Tour of CATS the Musical

After 34 years the 3rd National Tour of CATS the Musical has reunited for the event "With Love Now and Forever!" CATS4COVID Relief benefitting Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids. The FoxPACF was able to give some of the winners of the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition the opportunity to speak with some of these cast members to ask questions and hear their stories about their experiences as part of Andrew Lloyd Webber's international musical phenomenon.

The virtual theatrical event with more than 30 cast members from across the country is set to premiere at 8 pm Eastern on Friday, October 23. The streaming video tribute will be available at https://broadwaycares.org/pre-event/with-love-now-and-forever-cats4covid-relief/ until October 27.

The stream will include a contemporary take on the opening number, “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats,” testimonials from cast members about how they were helped by The Actors Fund and a spectacular, new performance of the show-stopping “Memory” performed by Grammy Award-winner Leslie Ellis and award-winning playwright and actress Christine Toy. There will also be a fun Halloween surprise with “The Naming of Cats.”

In 1986, the cast formed a new ‘Jellicle’ tribe known in the industry as Cats National 3. This third national tour made significant marks in the history of this landmark show, breaking box office records and selling out months before opening nights. This was the first Cats company to play outdoor theaters due to the high demand for tickets. In a time before Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has been created, Cats National 3 held one of the first AIDS fundraisers, collecting more than $36,000 in one night for the Kansas City Good Samaritan Project.