One of the longest running musicals of all time, Cats, has announced a return to Theatre Royal Sydney to celebrate 40 years in Australia.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical held its Australian premiere at the Theatre Royal Sydney on July 27, 1985. So it’s only right that the beloved production head back to where it all began, returning for a limited run to help beef up the city’s increasingly packed schedule of shows for 2025.

Although its leap to the big screen in 2019 might have fallen flat, it’s tough to deny Cats its impressive legacy on the stage. Based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the production first played at the New London Theatre in 1981, where it’d remain for a record-breaking 21 years with almost 9000 performances. With 18 years on Broadway also under its belt, Cats is one of the most successful musicals in history and, for many, the blueprint for campy, over-the-top musicals.

Handled by producer John Frost, Cats pays homage to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original score as it tells the story of the Jellicle cat tribe and their curious traditions on the night of the Jellicle Ball. For a large number of theatregoers, it’s the ultimate dose of nostalgia and a swift reminder of theatre’s ability to pull viewers into an entirely new world for a few hours.

The waitlist for tickets has already opened with a general sale coming soon.