SOME FACTS ABOUT CATS

NEW YORK— Cats, which promised it would be with us “Now and Forever,” broke that vow when it closed in 2000 after 18 years on Broadway. But now the show, based on T.S. Eliot’s children’s book The Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, is getting its first Broadway revival, opening Sunday at the Neil Simon Theatre. Here are some things you might not remember about the show. The First Mega-Musical Cats, with its spooky eyes-in-thedark logo, ushered in an unprecedented marketing era, introducing sophisticated publicity techniques into a business that had previously behaved like a cottage industry. Those yellow cat-orbs were glowing on the theatre marquee six months before the opening. Months early, souvenir shops were stocked with posters and an unprecedented variety of merchandising tie-ins. Cat Scratch The result of the intense marketing campaign was a record $6.2-million (all figures U.S.) advance sale. This may be Kitty Litter compared to the $57 million advance that Hamilton had three months into its run, but it was historic for its time. More than 10 million people saw Cats on Broadway, which reported a total box-office gross of more than $383 million. Casting a Star The casting of Grizabella, the aging glamourpuss who sings “Memory,” has had a twitchy history. First Judi Dench was to take the role. But she tore an Achilles tendon in rehearsal and ended up in the hospital. Elaine Paige agreed to step in on short notice. Betty Buckley won a Tony as Broadway’s Grizabella, but the part has also been played by virtual unknowns without a disturbing a whisker on the grosses. Cat Dancing Dust-Up Although the new production will have a few changes, original director Trevor Nunn will again be in charge. The big difference is that British choreographer Gillian Lynne has been replaced by Andy Blankenbuehler (who just won a Tony for Hamilton). Representatives of the show are politely evasive about the change. Lynne, who choreographed the London revival, described herself in an interview as “very angry . . . It makes me feel like I’d like to murder.” Memories of ‘Memory’ At least 150 artists, including Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley, have recorded the show’s only hit song. Besides Barbra Streisand and Joni Mitchell, you may have hummed along with Barry Manilow, Céline Dion, opera tenor Jose Carreras and Liberace. Susan Boyle sang it on Britain’s Got Talent.