Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939) is a collection of whimsical poems by T. S. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber. It is the basis for the musical "Cats". Eliot wrote the poems in the 1930s, and included them, under his assumed name "Old Possum", in letters to his godchildren. They were collected and published in 1939, with cover illustrations by the author, and quickly re-published in 1940, illustrated in full by Nicolas Bentley. They have also been published in versions illustrated by Edward Gorey (1982) and Axel
Cats (musical) UK tour also has a completely new piece of music used for the Beetles Tattoo segment of "The Old Gumbie Cat", a reworked jazz version of "Growltiger's Last Stand", and the reinstating of "Una Tepida Notte", replacing "The Ballad of Billy M'Caw". In the 2016 Broadway revival, the "Growltiger's Last Stand" number was replaced by "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles". With Gus remembering that he had played the part of the Great Rumpus Cat instead of Growltiger. Cats (musical) Cats is a sung-through musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on "Old Possum's Book of Practical