CATS Returns to Singapore this October

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning musical “Cats” is making a highly anticipated return to Singapore. Presented by Base Entertainment Asia, alongside GWB Entertainment and LW Entertainment, the production plays a strictly limited four-week season at the Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, from Oct. 29 to Nov. 22, 2026.

Inspired by T. S. Eliot’s 1939 children’s poems, “Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats,” the musical has been performed in over 54 countries, translated into 23 languages, and experienced by more than 77 million theatergoers worldwide since its West End debut in 1981. One of the longest-running productions in both London and New York City—playing nearly 9,000 performances in London alone—it stands as a benchmark of a true musical juggernaut.

The original London production won both the Laurence Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical. At the same time, its original Broadway run won multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book.

At the heart of the show is the weary, tattered Grizabella (Cindy-Ann Abrahams), otherwise known as the former Glamour Cat, who longs for acceptance and redemption. As Grizabella, Abrahams is set to perform the musical’s biggest solo, “Memory,” which has been recorded by over 150 singers since the ‘80s. The role originated in the West End with musical theater legend Elaine Paige, whose emotional vulnerability and powerful vocals leave an indelible trace.

In Southeast Asia, the role of Grizabella has been played by Singaporean actress Jacintha Abisheganaden and West End star and Filipino actress Joanna Ampil, who recently completed her stint in another Lloyd Webber musical, “The Phantom of the Opera,” in the West End.

In the impending return of “Cats,” Singaporean audiences may be reminded of Mukeni Nel (Quaxo/Mr. Mistoffelees), who was previously part of the 2019 production. 

Dylan Janse van Rensburg will play Rum Tum Tugger, the wildly charismatic rock-star cat; Tatum Coleman, Bombalurina; Che-jean Jupp, Munskustrap; and King B, Old Deuteronomy, the revered leader of the pack of cats.

The show invites the audience to an oversized, larger-than-life junkyard, where various objects are scattered across the space, forming an extraordinary, feline-friendly terrain. Under the glow of a full moon, the local cats gather for their most sacred annual tradition, the Jellicle Ball.

Featuring Lloyd Webber’s timeless, electric score, the show effortlessly blends classical motifs, pop melodies, and jazz rhythms that stay with the audience long after the final bows.