John Legend and Michael Jackson Become Producers for ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball,’ Bringing Fresh Cultural Energy to the Beloved Musical
Trending on Billboard
Broadway is set for an exciting revival with the upcoming production of Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Billboard has confirmed that EGOT winner John Legend and Tony- and Emmy-winning producer Mike Jackson will join the producing team through their Get Lifted Film Co. banner.
The production, which integrates ballroom culture, will kick off previews on Wednesday, March 18, ahead of its opening night on Tuesday, April 7. This marks Legend’s return to Broadway, where he last performed in 2018. That year, he played the lead role and executive-produced an Emmy-winning live telecast of Jesus Christ Superstar, earning a Tony nomination for his contribution to the SpongeBob SquarePants score.
In a joint statement to Billboard, Legend and Jackson expressed their enthusiasm: “Cats is one of the most recognizable musicals ever created, and what makes Cats: The Jellicle Ball so exciting is how it honors that legacy while completely reinventing the experience through the lens of ballroom culture. The creativity and artistry of this production are extraordinary. It takes a beloved musical and infuses it with a new cultural energy that feels vibrant, contemporary, and celebratory.”
Joining Legend and Jackson on the production team are Jellicle Ball producers Michael Harrison and Mike Bosner, along with fellow producers Cynthia Erivo and Lena Waithe. Erivo is currently captivating audiences in London’s West End with her ambitious one-woman show, Dracula, her first major project following her success in the Oscar-winning and billion-dollar-grossing Wicked films.
Legend co-founded Get Lifted in 2012 with Jackson and Ty Stiklorius as a multi-platform production company. The name references his landmark debut album, which he celebrated with a 20th-anniversary arena tour last year. The company also produced the Emmy-winning HBO documentary 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed.
In the theater realm, Get Lifted’s credits include the 2017 revival of Jitney, which earned Legend his first Tony nomination and win. The company has additional Broadway credits such as Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations and Turn Me Loose. Off-Broadway, they contributed to the production of Duke & Roya, starring Jay Ellis. Upcoming projects include a stage adaptation of Imitation of Life, featuring music by Legend, which will debut at The Shed.
Based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the reimagined Jellicle Ball will premiere at the Broadhurst Theatre, featuring Tony and Grammy winner André De Shields as Old Deuteronomy. Direction is provided by OBIE Award winners Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, with choreography from notable NYC ballroom icons Omari Wiles (House of NiNa Oricci) and Arturo Lyons (House of Miyake-Mugler). The music will be overseen by theater legend Andrew Lloyd Webber, who recently received five Laurence Olivier Awards for his revival of Evita, led by Rachel Zegler.
Since its debut in London in 1981, two cast recordings of Cats have charted on the Billboard 200. The original London cast recording peaked at No. 86 in 1982, while the original Broadway cast recording reached No. 131 the following year. With over 7,000 performances, Cats remains one of the longest-running productions in Broadway history.
