CATS to Play at the Orpheum Theater, 2/17-19

CATS returns to the Orpheum Theater Friday, February 17 through Sunday, February 19 for five performances. CATS is being presented by Omaha Performing Arts and Broadway Across America.

Tickets for CATS start at $25 and are available online at TicketOmaha.com; by phone at 402.345.0606 or at the Ticket Omaha office in the Holland Performing Arts Center, 13th and Douglas streets, Omaha, NE.

New for the 2011-2012 season will be the reintroduction of “psychic twins” Coricopat and Tantomile. These mystical cats, who are always in sync, were last seen in the Broadway production. Where one goes, the other follows!

Produced by CATS-Eye, LLC, the national tour of CATS is the only production in North America sanctioned by Andrew Lloyd Webber. With original direction by Trevor Nunn and choreography by Gillian Lynne, this is the CATS credited with the British invasion of Broadway. CATS celebrated its 30th anniversary on May 11, 2011, holding its place as the longest continuously touring Broadway musical in history.

On May 11, 1981, CATS opened at the New London Theatre in the West End. Eight years later, it celebrated its first important milestone: after 3,358 performances CATS became the longest running musical in the history of British theatre. CATS played its final performance on its 21st birthday, May 11, 2002.

CATS opened on Broadway on October 7, 1982 at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City and continued to live up to its motto "Now and Forever." On June 19, 1997, it became the longest running musical on Broadway. CATS ended its 18 year run on September 10, 2000 with 7,485 performances.

Based on T.S. Eliot?s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, and with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, CATS won seven 1983 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Lighting and Best Costumes. In October of 1991, CATS became the longest continuously touring show in American theatre history. Five continents, 26 countries, and over eight and a half million audience members later, CATS is still America's loved family musical. CATS is celebrating not only its Broadway touring legacy but the birth of the musical spectacular.

Now that it has been seen by millions of audience members worldwide, it is time to celebrate with the whole family the magic, the mystery, the wonder and the memory of CATS.

CATS performances at Omaha?s Orpheum Theater will be Friday, February 17 and Saturday, February 18 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m. There will also be two matinees, Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Create a special "memory" one more time. For more information, go to: TicketOmaha.com or CatsOnTour.com.

Omaha Performing Arts is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing world-class performances to the Omaha metropolitan area. Omaha Performing Arts’ commitment to the arts extends into its own series, Omaha Performing Arts Presents, as well as education and community involvement programs that help ensure the arts have a far-reaching impact. In partnership with Broadway Across America, Omaha Performing Arts also brings the finest in touring Broadway productions to Omaha, Core to its mission, Omaha Performing Arts manages two landmark venues, the Holland Performing Arts Center and the Orpheum Theater – the former, which includes the acoustically acclaimed Kiewit Concert Hall and Scott Recital Hall and the latter, which includes Slosburg Hall, a proscenium theater. Omaha Performing Arts also provides comprehensive ticketing services for cultural and performing arts within the region through Ticket Omaha (TicketOmaha.com). Omaha Performing Arts’ performances are supported in part by the Nebraska Arts Council, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, the Mid-America Arts Alliance, National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Omaha and the Douglas County Visitor Improvement Fund. For more information on Omaha Performing Arts visit OmahaPerformingArts.org.

BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA (Producer), part of the Key Brand Entertainment family of companies which includes Broadway.com, is owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman). Broadway Across America presents first-class touring musicals and plays across 40 North American cities. Broadway.com is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. Under the supervision of Beth Williams (CEO—Theater Division), Broadway Across America is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse theatre. Current Broadway productions include How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Darren Criss and Beau Bridges, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever starring Harry Connick Jr, The Mountaintop starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Godspell, Memphis, Lysistrata Jones, and the New York, West End, and national touring productions of Million Dollar Quartet. For more information, please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.