Broadway Production

The Original Broadway production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Cats, premiered in the Winter Garden Theatre on October 7, 1982, after previews which began on September 23, 1982. It played a total of 7,485 performances and 15 previews. It was the second production of Cats to open worldwide, following the Original London Production. In transferring to Broadway, the show was given a significant overhaul with a much bigger budget. Many of the subsequent productions worldwide were based on the Broadway version of the musical. The show won seven Tony Awards in 1983, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score.

This production made Cats the longest running show in Broadway history from 19 June 1997 until 9 January 2006. In 2016, the musical was revived on Broadway in a reworked production.

Creative Team

 * Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber
 * Executive Producers: R. Tyler Gatchell, Jr. and Peter Neufeld
 * Director: Trevor Nunn
 * Associate Director and Choreographer: Gillian Lynne
 * Costume and Set Design: John Napier
 * Assistant Costume Designer: Sally Ann Parsons
 * Assistant Scenic Designer: Raymond Huessy
 * Lighting Design: David Hersey
 * Sound Design: Martin Levan
 * Wig Design: Paul Huntley Productions, Inc.
 * Makeup Design: Candace Carell
 * Orchestrations: David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber
 * Production Musical Director: Stanley Lebowsky (1982 - 1990), David Caddick (1986 - 1993)

Cast
For complete Broadway Casts see here

Cast Recording

 * Original Broadway Cast Recording, released January 26, 1983

Media

 * NY Daily News - Article on the OBC recording by Don Nelsen. Published: 24 October 1982
 * The Baltimore Sun - Article on the challenging choreography and injuries by Leslie Bennetts. Published: 30 Aug 1983
 * New York Times - The 15 Lives of 'Cats' By DANIEL B. SCHNEIDER. Published: 6 October 1996
 * Playbill - Cats Trivia Encyclopedia By Ellis Nassour. Published: 17 Jun 1997

1983 Tony Awards

 * Best Musical (Won)
 * Best Book of a Musical (Won)
 * Best Original Score (Won)
 * Best Featured Actress in a Musical - Betty Buckley (Won)
 * Best Costume Design (Won)
 * Best Lighting Design (Won)
 * Best Direction of a Musical (Won)
 * Best Featured Actor in a Musical - Harry Groener (Nominated)
 * Best Featured Actor in a Musical - Stephen Hanan (Nominated)
 * Best Scenic Design (Nominated)
 * Best Choreography (Nominated)

1983 Drama Desk Awards

 * Outstanding Music (Won)
 * Outstanding Costume Design (Won)
 * Outstanding Lighting Design (Won)
 * Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Betty Buckley (Nominated)
 * Outstanding Lyrics (Nominated)

1983 Outer Critics Circle Awards

 * Best Broadway Musical (Won)

1984 Grammy Awards

 * Best Cast Show Album - OBC recording (Won)