Once a year, the Jellicle cats gather for their annual ball, and this year, Hong Kong is the stage. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical Cats is touring the world once more, making a stop in the city for the first time since 2018. With a dramatic set, dynamic choreography and fur-ocious costumes, alongside a local surprise to ground the production, this promises to be a captivating spectacle.Cats’ latest residence in Hong Kong is a testament to the show’s enduring appeal. More than four decades after its 1981 West End debut, in London, the musical has been staged in 54 countries and reached over 77 million fans worldwide. While Hong Kong has hosted international tours of Cats since 1994, the current cast brings fresh energy to the Xiqu Centre’s Grand Theatre. More show dates were added following an overwhelming audience response, extending the limited run to September 13.Dylan Janse van Rensburg stars as the rebellious Rum Tum Tugger (centre) in Cats. Photo: Nardus EngelbrechtAt the heart of this musical legacy is a simple yet mystical story. Cats chronicles a tribe of felines, the Jellicles, gathering for the annual Jellicle Ball, where Old Deuteronomy, the group’s leader, decides which of them will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a new Jellicle life. Each cat takes the stage to tell their tale and prove their worth.Based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, an anthology of whimsical poems published in 1939, Webber’s original score and Gillian Lynne’s energetic choreography form the backbone of the experience. Chrissie Cartwright, associate director and choreographer, and resident director Matt Krzan protect the creative vision, staging and movement language of Cats in its international productions.In the 2026 rendition, Cindy-Ann Abrahams, the “Best Actress in a Musical” winner at the 61st Cape Town Theatre Awards, in July, keeps the “Memory” alive as Grizabella the Glamour Cat, leading a seasoned performing company that also stars Dylan Janse van Rensburg as the rebellious Rum Tum Tugger and King B as the wise Old Deuteronomy.Cindy-Ann Abrahams as Grizabella the Glamour Cat. Photo: Nardus EngelbrechtA highlight is when the cast performs a portion of “The Moments of Happiness” in Cantonese, tailor-made for the Hong Kong audience, for a local touch that ensures the show feels personal to the crowd, even after 45 years.