Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Media Contact:
Diana Roth, Senior Communications Manager
roth@trustarts.org | (412) 471-8717
 
 
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Announce
Cats Will Play Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center From
February 25 to March 1, 2020
“Cats is back and better than ever!” - The Huffington Post
 
One of the biggest hits in theatrical history, Cats will come to Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center, 237 7th Street, from February 25 to March 1, 2020, as part of a multi-season North American tour.  Tickets are on sale now.
 
Cats is a season special, part of the 2019-2020 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series, presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Broadway Across America.  For tickets and information, visit the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s official website TrustArts.org, call (412) 456-4800, or in person at Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue.
 
The North American Tour of the first-ever Broadway revival of Cats, launched last year in January 2019 in Providence, Rhode Island for a multi-season tour playing in 24 cities in its first season.
 
Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the record-breaking musical spectacular has captivated audiences in over 30 countries and 15 languages, is now on tour across North America! Featuring new sound design, direction and choreography for a new generation — experience Cats for the first time as it begins a new life, or let it thrill you all over again!
 
The original Broadway production opened in 1982 at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre, where it ran for 7,485 performances and 18 years. Cats was originally produced on Broadway by Cameron Mackintosh, The Really Useful Company Limited, David Geffen, and The Shubert Organization. Cats returned to Broadway in 2016 in a stunning revival at teh Neil Simon Theatre. Preview performances began Thursday, July 14, 2016, and officially opened on Sunday, July 31, 2016. Cats played its final performance on Saturday, December 30, 2017 after 16 previews and 593 regular performances.

The creative team for the new production of Cats includes John Napier (Scenic & Costume Design), Natasha Katz (Lighting Design), Mick Potter (Sound Design), choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, based on the original choreography by Gillian Lynne, and direction by Trevor Nunn.

Since its world premiere, Cats has been presented in over 30 countries, has been translated into 15 languages, and has been seen by more than 73 million people worldwide. Originally directed by Trevor Nunn with choreography and associate direction by Gillian Lynne, scenic and costume design by John Napier, lighting design by David Hersey, and sound design by Abe Jacob, Cats opened in the West End in 1981. The musical debuted on Broadway in 1982 where it won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Both the original London and Broadway cast recordings won Grammy Awards for Best Cast Album. Cats hit song “Memory” has been recorded by over 150 artists from Barbra Streisand and Johnny Mathis to Liberace and Barry Manilow. The Tony Award-winning Best Musical held the title of longest-running musical in Broadway history until it was surpassed in 2006 by Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. The original Broadway production closed on September 10, 2000 and is currently the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history. This marks the first tour of the first-ever Broadway revival of the iconic musical.

The first-ever, live-action film adaptation of Cats, produced by Universal Pictures and Working Title, was released on December 20, 2019.

The revival of Cats is produced by The Shubert Organization, James L. Nederlander, The Really Useful Group and Cameron Mackintosh.

Cast for the North American Tour
The Jellicle cats include Adam Vanek as “Alonzo,” McGee Maddox as “Bill Bailey/Rum Tum Tugger,”   Elyse Collier as “Bombalurina,” Jordan Betscher as “Cassandra,” Maurice Dawkins as “Coricopat,” Alexa Racioppi as “Demeter,” Donna Vivino as “Grizabella,” Annemarie Rosano as “Jellylorum,” Dani Goldstein as “Jennyanydots,” PJ DiGaetano as “Mistoffelees,” Benjamin Sears as “Mungojerrie,” Zachary S. Berger as “Munkustrap,” Timothy Gulan as “Peter/Bustopher Jones/Asparagus,” Brayden Newby as “Plato/Macavity,” Brett Michael Lockley as “Pouncival,” Adriana Negron as “Rumpelteazer,” Nevada Riley  as “Sillabub,” Giovanni DiGabriele as “Skimbleshanks,” Melody Rose as “Tantomile,” Cameron Edris as “Tumblebrutus,” Adam Richardson as “Victor/Old Deuteronomy,” Caitlin Bond as “Victoria,” along with Erin Chupinsky, Alex Dorf, Devin Hatch, Madison Mitchell, Nathan Patrick Morgan, Charlotte O'Dowd, Austin Joseph Reynolds, Zachary Tallman, Tricia Tanguy and Loretta Williams.
 
For more information on the North American Tour, including cast biographies, please visit CatsTheMusical.com.
 
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The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners.  Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District.  The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization.  A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity.  Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life.  Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.
TrustArts.org |@CulturalTrust on Facebook · Instagram · Twitter
 
The PNC Foundation joins the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in bringing the best of Broadway to entertain, enlighten, and complement the rich experiences that add to the region’s exceptional quality of life. The seven season presentations and four specials in the 2018-19 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series contribute to the city’s reputation as a major destination for the arts, culture, and world-class entertainment.
 
Broadway Across America (BAA) is part of the John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com and Group Sales Box Office.  Led by 14-time Tony-winning theater producer John Gore (Owner & CEO), BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 45 markets with over 400,000 subscribers. Presentations include Disney’s The Lion King, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, The Phantom of the Opera and Hamilton. Current and past productions include Ain’t Too Proud, Beautiful, Cats, Chicago, Dear Evan Hansen, Mean Girls, Moulin Rouge! and To Kill A Mockingbird. Broadway.com  is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. For more information please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.