Cats (1998 film) Carbucketty being renamed Tumblebrutus and Pouncival, respectively. Cats (1998 film) Cats is a 1998 direct-to-video musical film based on the stage musical "Cats" by Andrew Lloyd Webber, itself based on the novel "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by T. S. Eliot. Lloyd Webber himself personally oversaw orchestration for the film and called on Gillian Lynne, the original show's choreographer, to personally train the cast for the film. Trevor Nunn, the original director, did not serve as the director of this production. Andrew Lloyd Webber and others on the production team for the film wanted to keep the feeling that
Cats (musical) fans who could not acquire a ticket for the final performance. It held the record as London's longest-running musical until 8 October 2006, when it was surpassed by "Les Misérables". The show made its debut on Broadway on 7 October 1982, at the Winter Garden Theater with the same production team. On 19 June 1997, "Cats" became the longest-running musical in Broadway history with 6,138 performances. It closed on 10 September 2000, after a total of 7,485 performances. Its Broadway record was surpassed on 9 January 2006 by "The Phantom of the Opera". It remains Broadway's fourth-longest-running show in history.