Do You Remember Cats the Musical?

Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote "Cats"! He also wrote a number of other Broadway musicals that dominate the industry.

"Cats" debuted on October 7, 1982. It has had many successful revivals since then.

"Cats" actually generated more than $3 billion to the NYC economy. The musical plays all around the world.

Streisand recorded "Memory" to great success. There are also 150 other artists who have done the same.

"Cats" opened to mixed reviews by critics. That being said, audiences completely loved it, and it was a hit no matter what the critics thought.

"SNL" gave us the famous quote, "It was better than 'Cats'!" This was thanks to The Amazing Alexander.

Grizabella is the character that sings the most famous song from the show, "Memory." It's one of the most beautiful Webber songs in the canon.

"Cats" is based on "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by T.S. Eliot. This was published in 1939. It was actually a book of poems.

Trevor Nunn was the original director of "Cats." He's famous in Britain for directing Shakespeare, among other things.

Grizabella is the Glamour Cat that ends up being selected for the Heaviside Layer. She doesn't look so glamorous when we first see her.

Judi Dench was in rehearsals for the role when she tore her Achilles tendon. The role was taken over by Elaine Paige.

"Cats" is actually the longest-running touring show in U.S. history. Those cats have been on the road for decades!

"Cats" has been to over 26 countries and over 300 cities! That means that so many people have had the opportunity to see this show.

"Cats" made its debut in London. It was at the New London Theater in the West End.

After opening in 1982, "Cats" closed 18 years later in 2000. It had 7,485 performances.

Trevor Nunn actually wrote the lyrics for "Memory." It was written within two weeks of the show's opening.

We find the cats in an old trash dump. After dark, the dump is populated by a lot of dancing cats.

Old Deuteronomy is the head cat who chooses the one that goes onto the next life. This additional life is prized by the cats.

Heaviside Layer is where one special cat gets to go. Old Deuteronomy is the one who chooses that special cat.

The Jellicle Ball is by far the hardest dance sequence in "Cats." It lasts for 9 minutes and 30 seconds and requires incredible skill.

There are 22 roles in "Cats." All of those in the cast are required to be exceptionally strong dancers and singers.

Andrew Lloyd Webber actually took out a second mortgage on his home in order to finance the show. Apparently, it was hard finding investors for "Cats."

"Cats" ran for 21 years, making it one of the longest running shows in West End history. It opened in 1981 and closed in 2002.

There is audience interaction during "Cats," and apparently, one audience member didn't like having a cat gyrate his pelvis in her face! She sued the show for $6 million.

The recent 2014 revival in the West End included a hip-hop number during "The Rum Tum Tugger." Apparently, Webber said that he thinks T.S. Elliot invented rap.

T.S. Elliot actually won a Tony Award for his poems in "Cats." The honor was accepted by his wife, Valerie.

"Cats" has been translated into more than 20 different languages. But in the end, as long as you have dancers, you can perform "Cats"!

Before the opening, the Winter Garden Theater was renovated in order to accommodate "Cats." A hole was cut in the roof for Grizabella's final scene.

That remarkable, famous song is heard right at the end of Act 1. That's something to think about during intermission!

Apparently, yak hair was used in order to create all those furry cats. Each wig cost about $2,300 to make!

"Cats" generated a lot of jobs, always good putting artists to work.

When the moon is at its zenith, that's when the Jellicle Ball takes place. At the ball, a cat is chosen to be reborn.

Grizabella is an outcast cat. Everyone pays little attention to her. But by the end, she's the most famous cat of them all!

The Heaviside Layer is actually a layer in the Earth's atmosphere! It's considered to be cat heaven in the musical.

All of these famous ladies played Grizabella. The list also includes Lea Salonga and Stephanie J. Block.