'Cats' Has Added a 2026 Brisbane Season to the Australian Tour That's Celebrating Its 40th Anniversary Down Under
You can see why this feline-fancying musical has proven a huge theatre hit — even if it didn't translate to the big screen — in the Sunshine State from February.
Brisbane, it's time to get the word "Jellicle" stuck in your head — again. To mark 40 years since it first hit the stage in Australia, Cats announced in 2024 that it would perform a new season Down Under from 2025. Originally the show was just headed to Sydney, but the feline-fancying experience has been adding stops elsewhere around the country. After it stops in Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne, then, it'll make its way to Brisbane.
Back in July 1985, Aussie audiences initially experienced Andrew Lloyd Webber's acclaimed production, which turned a tale inspired by poems from TS Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats into an award-winning theatre hit. The place: Sydney, aka where Cats is playing again from June 2025. Brisbane's turn comes from February 2026, at QPAC's Lyric Theatre.
"Cats is a legendary show that I've admired for over 40 years. A sparkling fusion of music, dance and verse, it was revolutionary when it first opened and enticed new audiences into the world of musical theatre," said producer John Frost for Crossroads Live about the new Aussie performances.
"I'm thrilled to bring the original production of Cats back to Australia to celebrate its 40th anniversary, and I know Brisbane audiences will love to revisit one of their favourite shows. Australia has an enduring love for Cats and it's time to let the memory live again."
If you're new to Cats, it spends its time with the Jellicle cat tribe on the night of the Jellicle Ball. That's the evening each year when their leader Old Deuteronomy picks who'll be reborn into a new Jellicle life by making the Jellicle choice. And yes, "Jellicle" is uttered frequently.
Of late, audiences might be more familiar with Cats as a movie. In 2019, the musical made the leap from stage to screen with a star-studded cast including Idris Elba (Hijack), Taylor Swift (Amsterdam), Judi Dench (Belfast), Ian McKellen, (The Critic) James Corden, (Mammals) Jennifer Hudson (Respect), Jason Derulo (Lethal Weapon), Ray Winstone (Damsel) and Rebel Wilson (The Almond and the Seahorse) playing singing, scurrying street mousers. If you ever wanted to see Swift pouring cat nip on a crowd of cats from a suspended gold moon, or were keen to soothe your disappointment over the fact that Elba hasn't yet been James Bond by spotting him with whiskers, fur and a tail, this was your chance.
For its efforts, the Tom Hooper (The Danish Girl)-directed film picked up six Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture. But while the movie clearly didn't hit the mark, you can see why this feline-fancying musical has been such a huge theatre hit when it makes its Brisbane stage comeback.
Cats 2025–26 Australian Tour
From Tuesday, June 17, 2025 — Theatre Royal Sydney
From Saturday, September 20, 2025 — Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide
From Saturday, November 8, 2025 — Crown Theatre, Perth
From Sunday, December 21, 2025 — Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
From February 2026 — Lyric Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane
Cats is touring Australia from June 2025, with its Brisbane season kicking off in February 2026. Head to the musical's website to further details and to sign up for the Brisbane ticket waitlist.
Images: Alessandro Pinna / international tour company in Xiadong.
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