The musical Cats hits Abu Dhabi

In May, Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena hosts Cats, one of the most celebrated and recognizable musicals in history. Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and inspired by the poetry of T. S. Eliot, the show returns to the stage with an international production designed for large venues and a diverse audience, spanning generations and cultures. Having debuted in London in the early 1980s, Cats marked a turning point in contemporary musical theater, establishing an unconventional narrative form based on a sequence of scenes, characters, and choreographic numbers rather than a linear plot. At the center of the show is the community of Jellicle Cats, called to gather for a night suspended between ritual, play, and memory. The strength of Cats lies in the combination of music, movement, and visual imagery. The physical and continuous choreography transforms the performers' bodies into a primary narrative element, while costumes and makeup construct a stylized feline universe, far from realism and closer to a symbolic dimension. The musical score, which includes one of the most famous pieces in the contemporary theatrical repertoire, takes the spectator on an emotional journey that alternates lightheartedness and melancholy.