‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’ Broadway Review: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Musical Gets Fresh and Fierce Update as an Ode to Queer Ballroom Culture

Home Legit Reviews Apr 7, 2026 6:00pm PT Critics Pick ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’ Broadway Review: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Musical Gets Fresh and Fierce Update as an Ode to Queer Ballroom Culture By Frank Rizzo Plus Icon Frank Rizzo Latest ‘Ragtime’ Review: Broadway Revival Is a Timely, Glorious Panorama of Changing Times in America 6 months ago ‘Waiting for Godot’ Review: Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter Bring a Cooler, Cosmic Take to This Broadway Waiting Game  6 months ago ‘Call Me Izzy’ Review: Jean Smart Dazzles in a Broadway Play That Treads All-Too-Familiar Territory 10 months ago See All Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade Broadway is burning — and that’s something to celebrate. “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” a refreshed version of the downtown 2024 hit, blazes anew, having made the trek uptown with its extravagance, pride and sense of joy intact. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s now-and-forever musical adaptation of T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” has been transposed to the world of Harlem’s Black and Latino queer ballroom culture — the same scene as the 1990 documentary “Paris Is Burning” and television’s “Pose.” But here, “Jellicle Ball” has a different human breed of cool cats across the binary spectrum. They are part of the underground community of drag houses whose members compete for trophies in runway categories such as realness, fashion and opulence. Related Stories 'Assassin's Creed' Netflix Series Reveals Ancient Rome Setting and Additional Cast as Shooting Starts in Italy