These cats have got their claws out.
After the abrupt announcement that Tony Award-winning “CATS: The Jellicle Ball” will close early, the musical has slipped in a catty new line that appears to take a swipe at the Broadhurst Theatre’s landlords.
Just before “Macavity: The Mystery Cat” — about the show’s infamous feline master criminal — the lights go down and a cast member now quips, “The Shuberts must have raised the rent again,” drawing knowing laughs from the crowd.
We’re told the line used to be, “The Shuberts must have forgotten to pay the electric bill.”
(By Shuberts, of course, they mean the Broadway dynasty that owns many of the area’s theaters, including the Broadhurst.).
The last-minute hiss comes after the July 13 announcement that the acclaimed revival — which reimagines the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic as a queer ballroom competition — will end its run on Aug. 8, sending shock waves through the theater community.
Despite racking up awards, celebrity judges including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anna Wintour and Cynthia Erivo, and near-purrfect reviews, the production couldn’t quite land on its feet financially, cutting short one of its nine lives.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, cast and company members were told the show wasn’t bringing in enough revenue. The outlet reported weekly grosses hovered around $1 million before the production’s three Tony wins, and dipped slightly afterward.
Composer Lloyd Webber weighed in on Instagram saying, “The truth is that, for any show, it makes practically no financial sense to come to Broadway with things as they are. Creators, writers, and directors have been forced to take minimal royalties from new shows, often surviving on a fixed weekly fee rather than a royalty. It makes it impossible for young creatives to make a living from theatre alone.”
Webber — who is also known for hits “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Evita” — went on to issue a plea to the industry.
“As someone who is still as in love with Broadway as I was when I was a teenager, I beg the theatre owners, unions, and producers to come together urgently to address what is a crisis coming to a head,” he wrote. “Broadway is in dire danger of rivaling Hollywood’s empty soundstages with increasingly dark theatres.”
“Jellicle Ball” producers Michael Harrison and Mike Bosner put a paws-itive spin on their statement about the closing: “The joy that radiates from the stage each night is unlike anything we’ve experienced in our careers. It has been a true honor to help bring Ballroom to Broadway.”
Reps for the Shubert Organization did not respond to request for comment.
