BroadwayRadio: Review Recap: ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’ & Grosses Report

Date: April 8, 2026
Host: Matt Tamanini

Episode Overview

In this special joint episode, Matt Tamanini delivers a comprehensive review roundup of the newly reimagined Cats: The Jellicle Ball, currently running at the Broadhurst Theatre, and provides a detailed breakdown of the latest Broadway box office grosses through the week ending April 5th. This episode combines critical consensus on one of the most talked-about productions of the season with a data-driven snapshot of Broadway’s financial health.

‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’ – Reviews and Reception

(Begins ~00:30)

Show Background

• Cats: The Jellicle Ball is a bold re-imagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic, transforming it into a queer ballroom competition.
• Directed by Zylon Livingston and Bill Rauch, choreographed by Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons.
• Scenic design by Tony winner Rachel Hauck. The Broadway staging accommodates a unique catwalk that partially extends into the audience, including some table seating on stage, adapting from its prior Off-Broadway configuration.

Cast Highlights

• Ensemble features a blend of Broadway stars and ballroom legends. Notables include:
  • Ken Ard (DJ Griddlebone, original Cats company member)
  • Primo the Ballerino (Tumble Brutus)
  • Bryson Battle (Jellylorem)
  • Tony winner André De Shields (Old Deuteronomy)
  • Sydney James Harcourt (Rum Tum Tugger)
  • Junior LaBeija (Gus)
  • Leomi (Macavity)
  • And many more, with each performance praised by critics.

Overall Critical Reception

• Out of 16 major reviews tracked, 15 were positive, and one was mixed. (01:41)
• “By far the most well reviewed show on Broadway this season.” (00:45)
• Matt expresses surprise and delight at the overwhelmingly positive reception, particularly as transfers from Off-Broadway don’t always fare well with mainstream critics.

Standout Quotes & Critic Insights

• Helen Shaw, The New York Times (01:58)

  • “[The directors] recast the mega musical’s Jellicle Ball as a ballroom competition… infus[ing] the kitsch of the original with queer communitarianism, sincerity, and a spirit of ecstatic trans liberation. Sense emerges out of nonsense. A fanciful person might call this result a tenth life… The original Cats might have been a bit fluffy in the meaning department, but Cats: The Jellicle Ball is thinking about legacy and the structures of care that emerge from intergenerational performance.”
  • On the show’s identity: “In its most pointed, lyrical moments, the show insists on the right of these self-possessed slinky creatures to be seen and admired, but also when they wish it to be left alone.”

• Jackson McHenry, Vulture (03:36)

  • "The production makes a thrilling number of choices to update and revise and comment…but it retains the basic load bearing elements of the original show…. The Jellicle Ball reinvents it. Arriving on Broadway, the Jellicoe Ball proves itself to be more than a fluke or a flight of fancy. It’s spectacular.”

• Frank Rizzo, Variety (03:57)

  • "Broadway is burning, and that's something to celebrate. Cats: The Jellicle Ball, a refreshed version of the downtown 2024 hit, blazes anew, having made the trek uptown with its extravagance, pride, and sense of joy intact.”

• Shannon Russell, Entertainment Weekly (04:15)

  • “Through it all, there’s a euphoric energy pulsing through the theater…quiet weeping, dropped jaws, fervent applause, and the occasional attendee literally vibrating with excitement. The spectacle…is intoxicating for all who enter and give themselves over to the glamour.”

• Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post (04:37)

  • “Without fail, the best Broadway shows are the off the charts inventive ones that could not have possibly originated anywhere else but the five boroughs this season. That's the Jellicle Ball. Only in New York, kittens.”

• Joey Sims, Theaterly (04:56)

  • “It works because the ballroom setting lends weight and specificity to a narrative world that previously felt airless… We see so many shows that worked as downtown shows because they maintained that air of rebellion and reinvention… but on Broadway, Cats: The Jellicle Ball has both sharpened in its staging and deepened in its significance.”

• Zachary Stewart, Theatermania (05:19)

  • “The Chosen Family is its bedrock, and elders hold a place of high esteem… This is not the story about queer people our detractors want told, but it is the truth, and it lives on Broadway eight times a week. This is how you do a revival.”

The Only Mixed Review

• Robert Hofler, The Rep (05:54)
  • “Only when William Waldrop's orchestrations riff by imposing a bump, stomp and grind rhythm to the original score does this cat spring alive… When there's dancing, the musical soars. When there's singing, the musical shows its age. Fortunately, the cast really knows how to wear clothes and strut…giving the dancers ample room to show off their incredible extension and flexibility.”

Final Assessment

• Greg Evans, Deadline (06:44)

  • "What wasn't preordained is just how beautifully executed the entire venture turns out to be…even the stickliest [for tradition] will find joy… It's all still here, fueling yet another life, familiar as an old tabby, yet fresh as a kitten."

• Matt’s take:

  • “I am very happy that all of the critics seem to not only think that the transition and the move uptown worked, but also seem to have embraced the show even more than they did off Broadway. So cannot wait to see this one in a few weeks. And I'm ready for this one to win a bunch of awards at the Tonys.” (07:18)

Broadway Box Office Grosses Recap

(Begins ~07:40)

Weekly Trends & Totals

• For the week ending April 5th (Easter Week, week 45 of the 2025-26 season):
  • 40 shows on Broadway—the season’s high.
  • Total Broadway gross: $43,241,429 (up 12% from previous week, up 2% year-over-year).
  • Total attendance: 334,631 (up 14% from the previous week, up 4% from last year).
  • Average ticket price: $129.22 (down 2% from last week, down 1% from last year).

Top Grossers

• The Lion King (9 shows): $2,823,250
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (8 shows): $2.8 million
• Hamilton: $2.6 million
• Wicked (9 shows): $2.1 million
• Aladdin (9 shows): $1.8 million (08:38)

Other Notables

• Several other high-performing shows: Stranger Things: The First Shadow, MJ, Moulin Rouge, Every Brilliant Thing, The Outsiders, The Great Gatsby, Chicago (7 shows), Ragtime, Dog Day Afternoon, Hadestown, Maybe Happy Ending.
• New productions:
  • Joe Turner’s Come and Gone nearly $1 million in its first eight-show preview week.
  • Proof (5 show week): $726,603, extrapolated to full week would have been approx. $1.16 million.
  • Schmigadoon! single preview: $169,191 (projected $1.35 million for a full week).
  • The Ballisters (6 shows): $158,188 (Manhattan Theatre Club non-profit, subscription house rules apply).

Attendance and Capacity

• 32 of 40 productions played at 90% capacity or higher.

• Ragtime, Proof, Harry Potter all at 100%.

• The Outsiders leads at 101.28% capacity.

• Season to-date totals:

  • Gross: $1.63 billion (up 7% year-over-year)
  • Total attendance: 12,274,398 people (up 3%)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “Broadway is burning, and that's something to celebrate.” (Frank Rizzo, 03:57)
• “Sense emerges out of nonsense. A fanciful person might call this result a tenth life…” (Helen Shaw, 01:58)
• “Only in New York, kittens. Only in New York.” (Johnny Oleksinski, 04:37)
• “This is how you do a revival.” (Zachary Stewart, 05:19)
• “It’s spectacular.” (Jackson McHenry, 03:36)

Summary of the Episode’s Tone

Celebratory, energetic, and proud—the episode highlights both the creative triumph of Cats: The Jellicle Ball and the strong financial rebound of Broadway as a whole. Matt’s enthusiasm is infectious as he details the critical success and promising box office numbers, painting a picture of a thriving, innovative theater scene in New York.

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