Broadway 2016/Score

Many changes were made to Cats for the Broadway Revival, mainly modified/new choreography and slight lyric changes to songs. Most of these changes were kept in the subsequent US Tour 6, while some were also incorporated into the International Tour. Most notably, this was the score that introduced the new Pekes and Pollicles played by Gus to replace Growltiger's Last Stand.

General Features

• New choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler throughout the show, featuring more hip hop dance styles and “Gaga Movement”.
• Some changes made previously for the London Palladium production, such as "Street Cat Tugger" and extended moments for Grizabella, were not carried over into this production.
• Many parts of the score was updated.

Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats

• Demeter is the first to appear on stage.
• The tempo for "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" was slowed down
• Grizabella does not take part in the opening, hence there is no Babygriz (reverted in US Tour 6).
• Alonzo is the cat who swings on the trapeze.

The Old Gumbie Cat

• The Beetles' Tattoo section in "The Old Gumbie Cat" has been removed, replaced by the cats tap dancing wearing costumes of hubcaps and "cleaning" the stage under her direction, while a giant clock counts down the time before the family wakes up.
• The Gumbie trio sing Munkustrap's second verse with him.

• The number featured new music arrangements as well. For the complete revised lyrics, see here.

Invitation Reprise

After "The Old Gumbie Cat" number is over, there is a short reprise of the "Invitation".

• "Invitation Reprise" lyrics:

Munkustrap:
Yes, Jellicles ask because Jellicles dare.
Who will it be?

Ensemble:
Who will it be?

Rum Tum Tugger:
Who will it be?!

The Rum Tum Tugger

• Tugger doesn't rip his way through a poster or a shirt, but rather appears on the car boot.
• Munkustrap and Alonzo sing the "terrible bore" line in "The Rum Tum Tugger".
• Tugger no longer goes into the audience during his number but rather after. In the Broadway Revival, he would get his picture taken with an audience member by Demeter using a comically large "polaroid" camera (the pictures were automatically uploaded to Tugger's official instagram account @officialrumtumtugger). In the 6th US Tour, Bombalurina or another cat would chase after him in the audience, both stopping to interact with audience members.

Bustopher Jones

• The first and second stanzas in Bustopher's solo in his song were cut.
• A dance break was added with the cats giving him different foods.

Old Deuteronomy

• In "Old Deuteronomy", the chorus is sung "Yes, no..." instead of "No, yes...", thus reverting the lyric change made in the original Broadway Production.

Song of the Jellicles and The Jellicle Ball

• Right before the Jellicle Ball, there is a Macavity scare sung by all the queens that features lyrics from "Macavity the Mystery Cat", but is sung to a different tune.

• "Macavity Scare" lyrics:

Queens:
He's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity
He hypnotizes with his eyes, his head sways like a snake, like a snake, like a snake

Grizabella Reprise

• Jellylorum and Sillabub's lines are cut in the Grizabella reprise.

Growltiger/Pekes and Pollicles

• "Growltiger's Last Stand" is completely removed, with Gus performing "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" (moved to Act 2) as a re-imagined Rumpus Cat. After Gus reminisces about playing the Great Rumpus Cat, Old Deuteronomy tells him that he could do it again, and so the cats help Gus relive his glory days. This sequence is an acted out performance involving the tribe rather than a dream sequence like Growltiger.

Gus:
And I once played the Rumpus Cat...

Old Deuteronomy:
...so do it again. Come do it again!

Gus:
... I could do it again!

• The "heathen Chinese" line in the Pekes and the Pollicles was retained. It was played off with Munkustrap being alarmed and quickly interrupting Gus when he hears Gus say the line. This was reverted in the 6th US Tour, replaced with "winsome Chinese".

• The "Tom Pollicle" section of "Pekes and the Pollicles" was cut.

• The following section of "Pekes and the Pollicles":

Ensemble:
And what with the glare of his eyes and his yawning,
The Pekes and the Pollicles quickly took warning.
He looked at the sky and he gave a great leap -
And they every last one of them scattered like sheep.

• Was sung by the ensemble to the tune of the following section from "Growltiger's Last Stand":

Ensemble:
Oh there was joy in Wapping when the news flew through the land
At Maidenhead and Henley there was dancing on the Strand
Rats were roasted whole in Brentford and Victoria Dock
And a day of celebration was commanded in Bangkok!

• There is no reprise of "Gus: The Theatre Cat" at the end of Gus' performance. Instead, he receives a bouquet of flowers from Jellylorum, bows and soaks in the audience applause and is then guided offstage.

Macavity

• The usual Macavity decoys are not used, but a Macavity double does still appear briefly onstage right after the "Macavity" song, kicking and jumping and scaring the Jellicles, while at the same time the main Macavity performer enters disguised as Old Deuteronomy.
• There is a long synth sound effect after Macavity escapes and the light goes around the theater.

Mistoffelees

• The second verse of "Magical Mister Mistoffelees" is a back-and-forth between Rum Tum Tugger and Mistoffelees:

Mistoffelees:
My manner is vague and aloof
You would think there was nobody shyer
But my voice has been heard on the roof
When I was curled up by the fire

Rum Tum Tugger:
And he's sometimes been heard by the fire

Mistoffelees:
When I was about on the roof

Rum Tum Tugger:
At least, they all heard that somebody purred

Mistoffelees:
Which is incontestable proof

Rum Tum Tugger:
Of his singular magical powers
And I've known the family to call
Him in from the garden for hours

Mistoffelees:
While I was asleep in the hall

Rum Tum Tugger:
And not long ago, this phenomenal cat

Ensemble:
Produced seven kittens right out of a hat

• Mistoffelees does not do the full Conjuring Turn.

Heaviside Layer

• Grizabella ascends to the Heaviside Layer via a flying harness.