West End revival of Cats will feature a rapping feline

Was there ever a cat so clever...as one who can freestyle over a sick beat?

The upcoming revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats at London's West End is about to find out, as the revamped production will feature some hip-hop flavor in the form of a rapping cat, reports the AP.

So where did this idea to make the character of Rum Tum Tugger into a "rapping street cat" come from? Lloyd Webber says he was inspired by the musical's source material (Cats is based on T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats). "I've come to the conclusion that...maybe Eliot was the inventor of rap," he said.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The revival will run at London's Palladium for six weeks starting Dec. 6, but cats on the internet can start learning to rap now.