On May 11, 1981, Cats opened at the New London Theatre in the West End, where it ran until its 21st birthday, May 11, 2002. Eight years after opening it celebrated its first important milestone: after 3,358 performances Cats became the longest running musical in the history of British theatre.  In 1982 Cats opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City and continued to live up to its motto "Now and Forever." On June 19, 1997, Cats became the longest running musical on Broadway. It ended its 18 year run on September 10, 2000.  Based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, and with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cats won seven 1983 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Lighting and Best Costumes.  Now that it’s been seen by over 8,250,000 audience members, it is time to introduce Cats to a new generation.