On May 29, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber—known as DJ Webz—stepped into the Theatre District for Cats: The Jellicle Ball, including a cameo at the May 29 performance and a post-show DJ set outside on West 44th Street. The street moment arrived as the show marks its B
By the time the music started outside on West 44th Street, the crowd already looked like it belonged there—not just waiting for a curtain call, but ready to linger for the next beat.
DJ Webz—also known as the prolific composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber—once again took over the Theatre District’s 44th Street. drawing a massive mix of theatregoers and passersby. Lloyd Webber made a cameo at the top of Cats: The Jellicle Ball at the May 29 performance. then played a special post-show DJ set outside on West 44th Street.
The timing wasn’t random. The event was held in celebration of Cats’ nine Tony Award nominations, with Broadway’s biggest night set for June 7.
Inside the show, the energy carries a familiar Webber signature—only remixed for the moment. The set featured a mix of Lloyd Webber’s classics and mashups. including “Abracadabra Of The Opera” (inspired by Lady Gaga) as well as ’70s and ’80s anthems. Lloyd Webber wasn’t alone. DJ Bill Coleman joined him. alongside members of the Cats cast. including Ken Ard. Jonathan Burke. Sydney James Harcourt. Junior LaBeija. Leiomy. Robert “Silk” Mason. “Tempress” Chasity Moore. Xavier Reyes. Nora Schell. Bebe Nicole Simpson. and Garnet Willams.
The lineup also pulled in surprise guests from outside traditional theatre lanes: members of the Ballroom community—Casey Dash, Antonio Mugler, and Diego Mugler—and Cats musical alumni Holly Cruz, Eddie Buffum, Jim Abbott, and Natasha Davison.
For many, this DJ persona is the point. It’s not the first time DJ Webz has drawn a crowd to hear his beloved songs set to synthesized beats. In 2021. Webber led a street party outside the Majestic Theatre after Phantom of the Opera’s first performance back on Broadway following the COVID-19 shutdown. That event was also on 44th Street—just a few steps away from where Cats: The Jellicle Ball now runs at the Broadhurst.
Cats: The Jellicle Ball officially opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 7. The reimagined revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical transforms its Jellicle cats into drag ball contestants walking sickening looks down the runway. Previews began March 18. bringing the production to the Main Stem after a premiere run at Off-Broadway’s Perelman Performing Arts Center last year.
Much of the cast from that opening is back. André De Shields returns as Old Deuteronomy. “Tempress” Chasity Moore reprises Grizabella. Junior LaBeija is back as Gus. Sydney James Harcourt plays Rum Tum Tugger. Jonathan Burke returns as Mungojerrie. Baby Byrne is Victoria. Dava Huesca is Rumpleteazer. Dudney Joseph Jr. is Munkustrap. Robert “Silk” Mason reprises Magical Mister Mistoffelees. Primo Thee Ballerino is Tumblebrutus. Xavier Reyes is Jennyanydots. Nora Schell is Bustopher Jones. Bebé Nicole Simpson is Demeter. Emma Sofia is Cassandra and Skimbleshanks. and Garnet Williams is Bombalurina. Teddy Wilson, Jr. reprises Sillabub, and Tara Lashan Clinkscales is also in the company.
The cast also includes Leiomy as Mavacity; Kya Azeen (Pose) as Etcetera; Bryson Battle (The Voice) as Jellylorum; and Ken Ard—who created the role of Macavity in the 1982 original Broadway production—now playing DJ Griddlebone. Also joining the company are Sherrod T. Brown, Bryce Farris, Phumzile Sojola (Masquerade), Kendall Grayson Stroud, B. Noel Thomas (Saturday Church), Kalyn West (The Prom), and Donté Nadir Wilder. Casting is by X Casting’s Victor Vazquez and Sujotta R. Pace.
The production is co-directed by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, with vogueing-infused choreography by Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons. The Jellicle cats convene for an annual ball to stomp the runway in fabulous duds. while Lloyd Webber’s Tony-winning score—including “Memory”—is newly augmented by dance music-inspired beats. by beats arranger and producer Trevor Holder. The Broadway theatre configuration includes onstage seating on either side of a ballroom runway.
The show’s creative team also spans scenic design by Rachel Hauck. costume design by Qween Jean. lighting design by Adam Honoré. sound design by Kai Harada. projection design by Brittany Bland. hair and wig design by Nikiya Mathis. make-up design by Rania Zohny. magic design by Paul Kieve. sensitivity specialist Ann James. dramaturg and gender consultant Josephine Kearns. and music supervisor and director William Waldrop. Cooper Howell and N’yomi Allure Stewart serve as associate directors, and Cody Renard Richard is production stage manager. Baseline Theatrical’s Nick Lugo, Jessica Fried, and James Hickey are general managing. Orchestrations are by Lloyd Webber and David Wilson.
There’s no question the Ballroom world is now far more visible than it used to be. The piece notes that it was most recently brought “somewhat mainstream” by the FX series Pose. Ballroom. described as an underground LGBTQIA+ subculture that arose in 1920s NYC and reaching its zenith in the ’80s. is rooted in runway walk categories ranging from the extravagant to the fabulously commonplace. It’s also where vogue dancing comes from—“real vogueing, not Madonna vogueing,” as the story puts it. The scene is dominated specifically by Black and Latino queer communities and has become ingrained in much of queer and popular culture today. particularly the world of drag. Ball culture was memorialized in the iconic 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning.
For Cats, the Ballroom connection is the point of the makeover. But the musical being remixed isn’t new. Cats debuted in London in 1979 as a dance musical adapted from T.S. Eliot’s book of poetry, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Largely plotless. the musical follows a tribe of “Jellicle” Cats who gather for an annual ball. presenting themselves for the chance to be reborn into a new life. The first act culminates in an all-dancing Jellicle Ball. The original production. choreographed by Gillian Lynne. featured quasi-modern ballet-inspired dance and cat costumes made up of ’80s-appropriate leotards and leg warmers.
The original Broadway production of Cats won seven Tony Awards. including Best Musical. Best Score for Lloyd Webber. and two posthumous Tonys for Eliot—for Best Book and Score. It ran on Broadway from 1982 to 2000, making it the fifth longest-running show on the Main Stem. It also had a brief revival from 2016 to 2017, replicating the original in large part. Cats: The Jellicle Ball is the second Broadway revival of the musical. Michael Harrison and Mike Bosner are producing.
And on West 44th Street, with DJ Webz behind the turntables again, the outside show is starting to feel like part of the ticket—another runway, another invitation to watch, and this time, to stay.
Andrew Lloyd Webber DJ Webz Cats: The Jellicle Ball Tony Award nominations West 44th Street Broadhurst Theatre Ballroom culture Lady Gaga mashup DJ Bill Coleman Leiomy Ken Ard André De Shields