Curtain falls on 'Cats' musical

"Cats" will go out on a high in London on its 21st anniversary

LONDON, England -- The final curtain has fallen on "Cats," the record-breaking British musical that gave the world the hit tune "Memory."

Adapted from T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical finally came to an end at the New London Theatre on the night of its 21st birthday -- and performance number 8,950 -- on Saturday.

Taking to the stage on what he said was "a very, very emotional evening," Lloyd-Webber told the audience that the 1981 musical curiosity-turned-global phenomenon "will be now and forever."

"It will have another life and eight other lives," said the composer, 54, before urging the audience to "listen to the lyrics."

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"Eliot's words are timeless, and that's why I think the show will be timeless," he said.

The sellout crowd of 1,100 cheered his remarks, urged on by a rousing finale from choreographer Gillian Lynne that flooded the stage with "Cats" performers past and present, several of whom flew in from the United States and Australia for the occasion.

Accompanied by confetti, indoor fireworks and bells, the audience stood and applauded for nearly 20 minutes before moving on to a celebration at the Waldorf Hotel.

Eleven-year-old Jessica Hill, a dancer from south London, was hoisted above the cast as a symbol of the regeneration of "Cats" to come.

Several streets away, thousands of people sat outside at Covent Garden Piazza to watch the show via a live video relay -- the first time any West End musical had attempted such a feat.

At the theatre, Champagne was served before the show and during the interval along with cat-shaped biscuits and dips presented in tins of Whiskas cat food.

The audience -- mostly invited, with 150 members of the public included via ballot -- cheered throughout for the various Jellicle Cats whose stories the musical tells.

Actress Chrissie Hammond stopped the show -- as countless performers, beginning with Elaine Paige, have before her -- by belting out "Memory," the mournful lament of Grizabella, the faded glamour cat.

The stunning costumes have thrilled eight million West End theatregoers

Paige, the first Grizabella, was among 170 or so previous members of the "Cats" cast who eventually took to the stage to further roars of approval.

Others included Paul Nicholas, Wayne Sleep, and Brian Blessed.

"Cats" played to more than 8 million people in London alone, setting the stage for a British musical revolution with such subsequent shows as "Les Miserables" and "The Phantom of the Opera" -- both of which are still running in London and on Broadway.

"Starlight Express," a similarly environmental Lloyd Webber extravaganza, closed in January in London after nearly 18 years.

In New York, the Tony-winning Broadway version of "Cats" ended in September 2000.

"Cats" is the second-highest grossing musical of all time, behind The Phantom Of The Opera. Its worldwide box office totals more than £1.4 billion.