FOLA (Friends of Ludlow Auditorium) will present its second streamed Broadway musical, "Cats", on Saturday, May 20 at 7 PM in the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium.

Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot, and produced by Cameron Mackintosh. The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make what is known as "the Jellicle choice" and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. Cats introduced the song "Memory". The first performance of Cats was in 1981.

Directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Gillian Lynne, Cats first opened in London in 1981 and then with the same creative team on Broadway in 1982. It won numerous awards, including Best Musical at both the Laurence Olivier Awards and the Tony Awards. The London production ran for twenty-one years and the Broadway production ran for eighteen years, both setting new records. Actresses Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley became particularly associated with the musical. One actress, Marlene Danielle, performed in the Broadway production for its entire run (from 1982 until 2000).

As of 2016, Cats is the fourth-longest-running show in Broadway history, and was the longest running Broadway show in history from 1997 to 2006 when it was surpassed by The Phantom of the Opera. Cats is the sixth-longest-running West End musical. It has been performed around the world many times and has been translated into more than 20 languages.

Some of the "cats" in the musical are Gus, An elderly actor, known as "the Theatre cat"; Bustopher Jones – A fat cat respected by all, as the upper-class "St. James's Street Cat"; Grizabella – A former "glamour cat", ostracised by the Jellicles, who has lost her sparkle and now only wants to be accepted. Jellylorum – A queen who watches out for the kittens; Jemima – A kitten. She becomes the first cat to accept Grizabella; Jennyanydots – The old Gumbie cat. She sits all day and rules the mice and cockroaches at night, forcing them to undertake helpful functions and creative projects, to curb their naturally destructive habits; and Old Deuteronomy – The elderly Jellicle Leader.

The musical event is free and open to everyone; donations are appreciated. For information, call (802) 228-7239 or visit the FOLA web site at www.fola.us.