Paramount Theatre is presenting a circus-themed revival of Cats, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, directed by Trent Stork, April 30-June 15, 2025. Check out first look photos of some of the cast!
Just picture Grizabella and her feline friends flying through the air with the greatest of ease. You may know all of the words to Cats, but you’ve never seen this Cats before, a new production intent on showcasing the amazing acrobatics and athletic grace of true felines.
Paramount isn't kitten around, casting its new take on Cats with a contortionist, jugglers, aerialists, tumblers, acrobats and other talented circus performers guaranteed to bring all new layers and energy to Lloyd Webber’s fantastical journey into the clandestine world of cats.
With a tent full of acro-cats, audiences will get swept up in the circus theme while Mungojerrie, Bustopher Jones, Bombalurina and more explore timeless themes of identity and redemption through captivating dance, singsong poetry, and unforgettable songs like “Memory” and “The Rum Tum Tugger.”
Paramount Theatre's Jellicle Ball is about to begin under the big top, on a set designed by Jeffrey D. Kmiec, with its stunning, circus-themed revival of Cats, April 30-June 15.
Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s collection of poems, “Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats,” Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical tells the familiar story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the sacred night they make the “Jellicle choice” - which cat is worthy enough to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to new life? Brimming with magic, dance, and feats of fancy, Cats won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score, and ranks eleventh on the all-time best selling Broadway musical roster.
Here in Chicago, Paramount Artistic Producer and Casting Director Trent Stork has been licking their paws for years in anticipation of directing Cats. Stork most recently helmed Paramount’s smash hit regional premiere of Disney’s Frozen the Broadway Musical, directed Paramount’s stagings of Billy Elliot, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, School of Rock and Kinky Boots (Jeff Award winner, Director-Musical- Large) and co-directed Into the Woods with Jim Corti.
Photo Credit: Amy Nelson
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Kat Hoil
Hayley Larson, Jake DiMaggio Lopez and Kat Hoil
Hayley Larson, Jake DiMaggio Lopez and Kat Hoil
Hayley Larson, Jake DiMaggio Lopez and Kat Hoil
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Kat Hoil
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Jake DiMaggio Lopez
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Jake DiMaggio Lopez
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Hayley Larson
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