From Sarah Brightman to Lena Hall: Look Back on the Jellicle Alums of Cats

With the Broadway revival opening, we look back on notable actors who have donned the furry ears and leg warmers over the decades.

April 07, 2026 By Playbill Staff

Sarah Brightman, Terrence Mann, Lena Hall, and Andy Karl

Cats opens its second Broadway revival April 7 at the Broadhurst Theatre. Called The Jellicle Ball, this reimagined version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-T.S. Eliot musical is truly a fusion of the old and the new. The cast contains legends of the Ballroom community (such as Junior LaBeija as Gus and "Tempress" Chasity Moore as Grizabella) and Broadway legends (such as André De Shields as Old Deuteronomy). And it also contains alums of Cats itself, whether it's Ken Ard (who played Macavity in the original 1982 Broadway production) or Jonathan Burke (who played Mungojerrie on tour 18 years ago).

Those factoids got us thinking: Who are the other notable actors who have starred in Cats, who may not be recognizable under that fur makeup? We looked up the cast list for the original 1982 production, the 2016 Broadway revival, as well as the London productions and national tours, and found some truly surprising names: Nicole Scherzinger in her West End debut, Lena Hall back when her stage name was Celina Carvajal, Victoria Clark before she made us all cry in Light in the Piazza, and many more. Flip through the gallery below.