One straight month of sold-out events. The production of "Cats" at Rome's Teatro Sistina seems unstoppable. Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, with lyrics by Nobel Prize winner Thomas Stearns Eliot, is having an amazing box office success in this new adaptation by Massimo Romeo Piparo, which is set for the first time in Rome, amid a feline colony of the Colosseum. To mark the fortieth anniversary of the Broadway debut of "Cats," the production was, with the author's permission, reimagined as taking place in a fictional, future-era landfill of art and archaeological treasures in Rome. Malika Ayane, who plays Grizabella, a heroine who sings the classic "Memory," stands out in the cast. Along with her, 27 more artists were routinely exposed to the incredible works of costume and makeup designers. Maestro Emanuele Friello conducts the orchestra that performs live Lloyd Webber compositions. Billy Mitchell, a rising choreographer from London's West End and current associate choreographer for the most recent A.L. Webber shows, from "School of Rock" through "Cinderella," has signed the choreographers. The Sistine Theatre has 1,500 seats, and the musical will run through January 22; nevertheless, it is now difficult to get a ticket.
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