CATS UK and Ireland tour: first look at the new production photos

The first production photos from the CATS UK and Ireland tour are out, giving audiences a proper look at Drew McOnie's reimagined staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical. Shot by Mark Senior, the images were released after the tour opened at Theatre Royal Plymouth on 6 October 2026, and they show a company of strays and rebels gathering under a glowing Jellicle moon.

The production arrives on the road after a record breaking summer season at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, where McOnie is Artistic Director. Michael Harrison presents it for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals, and the tour now runs across the UK and Ireland until June 2027.

Three performers share Grizabella

Louise Dearman, Alice Fearn and Rachael Wooding share the role of Grizabella, the faded glamour cat who sings Memory. Dearman plays Plymouth, Birmingham, Bristol, Norwich and Edinburgh, Wooding returns to the role in Hull and Manchester, and Fearn takes every other stop from Llandudno onwards. Our earlier story on the three touring Grizabellas has more on each of them.

The wider company includes Kalisha Amaris as Old Deuteronomy, Jack Wilcox as Munkustrap, Jaydon Vijn as Rum Tum Tugger, Jet Yau as Mr Mistoffelees and Diante Lodge as Macavity.

What is this new production like?

Drew McOnie directs and choreographs, and he moves the story from a junkyard to the streets of London, from Euston station to Victoria Grove, where the strays gather, each longing to be chosen. Sami Fendall designs the set, costumes and wigs, with lighting by Jessica Hung Han Yun, sound by Adam Fisher and musical supervision by Alex Parker. The new photos show bold body paint, swirling haze and a huge circular moon at the back of the stage.

Where the songs come from

Since its London premiere in 1981, the musical has been seen by more than 77 million people worldwide, translated into 23 languages and staged in over 54 countries. This version keeps the dance at its heart, with Ingrid Mackinnon as intimacy director, Kev McCurdy as fight director, Guy Common designing the make up and Will Burton casting the company.

The musical is based on T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, and the score includes Memory, Macavity: The Mystery Cat, Old Deuteronomy and The Jellicle Ball.

Where does the tour go next?

After the opening fortnight in Devon, the tour visits Yorkshire, the Midlands, the North West, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Dublin before finishing in Newcastle in June 2027, with 23 stops in all.

Tour dates for 2026 and 2027

The official tour dates are:

• Theatre Royal Plymouth, 6 to 17 October 2026
• Hull New Theatre, 20 to 24 October 2026
• Birmingham Hippodrome, 27 October to 7 November 2026
• Palace Theatre Manchester, 10 to 21 November 2026
• Bristol Hippodrome, 24 to 28 November 2026
• Venue Cymru, Llandudno, 1 to 5 December 2026
• Theatre Royal Glasgow, 8 to 27 December 2026
• Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, 6 to 16 January 2027
• Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, 19 to 23 January 2027
• Sunderland Empire, 26 to 30 January 2027
• His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, 9 to 13 February 2027
• Norwich Theatre Royal, 16 to 27 February 2027
• Grand Opera House, Belfast, 2 to 13 March 2027
• Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, 16 to 20 March 2027
• New Theatre Oxford, 23 to 27 March 2027
• Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, 30 March to 10 April 2027
• Edinburgh Playhouse, 20 to 24 April 2027
• Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, 27 April to 1 May 2027
• Liverpool Empire, 5 to 15 May 2027
• Woking Theatre, 18 to 22 May 2027
• Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, 25 to 29 May 2027
• Milton Keynes Theatre, 1 to 5 June 2027
• Theatre Royal Newcastle, 8 to 19 June 2027

Booking for the tour

With Memory, a striking new look and three leading performers sharing Grizabella, this is one of the biggest musical tours of the season. See dates and tickets for CATS on tour.