‘Sleep No More’ and ‘Masquarade’ producer says he would take over shuttering ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’

https://pagesix.com/2026/07/27/society/sleep-no-more-and-masquerade-producer-says-he-would-take-over-the-shuttering-cats-the-jellicle-ball/

i love this idea!

Doesn't he owe millions to landlords? What Broadway landlord is going to say Yes to such a liability?

Kad said: "What’s being (rather idly) proposed here isn’t an extension at the Broadhurst, but rather putting Jellicle Ball in a custom venue like Masquerade and Sleep No More. Even if it were to happen, it would take a long time to carry out."

Yeah that feels psychotic tbh. Like... just host it in a Ballroom at that point.

malcs98 said: "Hey never say never…there’s tons of vacant space out there in NYC and if anybody outside of ALW & Michael Harrison can give this production “a different Jellicle life” it’s Randy Weiner. Think about it, they found an abandoned art supply building on 57th street and turned it into an opera populaire, I see no reason why C:TJB doesn’t follow that same trajectory."

Well... because Phantom didn't close because it wasn't making money. Masquerade also priced out most low income theatregoers from actually being able to see it so... kind of counterintuitive for Jellicle Ball.

Sleep No More, Masquerade, etc. I'm sure are lovely shows but they are very much shows for "Elites" charging $170 to start and only going up from there.

Updated On: 7/27/26 at 07:45 PM

malcs98 said: "I mean quizking101 pointed out the rush lines, whether that’s a sign for high ticket prices means to be seen. But unlike some of yall on these boards, I choose to be an optimistic. I’ve seen it 4 times and I have hope that this is notthe end of The Jellicle Ball.


PS. Quizking, I signed your petition…is there a goal for how many signatures are needed?"

I've seen it 4 times across downtown and Broadway as well, I've been a champion of it since the literal first announcement of the workshop back in 2022. I'm also realistic. A show that cost $18M to put up (of which investors will not see a cent back of) is not going to get an expensive specialized venue for it to continue to not make money.

malcs98 said: "TheatreFan4 said: "Kad said: "What’s being (rather idly) proposed here isn’t an extension at the Broadhurst, but rather putting Jellicle Ball in a custom venue like Masquerade and Sleep No More. Even if it were to happen, it would take a long time to carry out."

Yeah that feels psychotic tbh. Like... just host it in a Ballroom at thatpoint."

Hey never say never…there’s tons of vacant space out there in NYC and if anybody outside of ALW & Michael Harrison can give this production “a different Jellicle life” it’s Randy Weiner. Think about it, they found an abandoned art supply building on 57th street and turned it into an opera populaire, I see no reason why C:TJB doesn’t follow that same trajectory."

Well, aside from the fact the production has yet to make a single dime and will be closing at a massive loss, site-specific productions have their own complications. Finding a venue is one and then making the necessary renovations, securing permits, staffing it, designing it, etc. It would be just as expensive as mounting the Broadway production, potentially moreso. It will have a smaller occupancy which means higher prices will be needed to compensate. Sleep No More, Masquerade, Then She Fell, etc all run/ran on a loop, running the show multiple times in a night in order to get more audiences in. As it is, Jellicle Ball was not conceived for that, so either becomes substantially abridged or you are just doing the show on an 8-show schedule for a much smaller audience paying higher prices.

The main issue, which hobbled Jellicle Ball both downtown and on Broadway, is that it does not seem to be sustainable to perform in the long-term. Both were beset with callouts, injuries, and coverage issues just a few months into their runs. So if you're hypothetically moving it to a site-specific off-Broadway production, you are still going to have a large cast and an increasingly large team of swings and understudies- which means the production is costly to run, and will be running for much smaller houses.

Finally, the momentum the production had was already diminished with the Broadway transfer. A third incarnation in just a few years will be a tough sell to audiences.

Kad said: "Well, aside from the fact the production has yet to make a single dime and will be closing at a massive loss, site-specific productions have their own complications. Finding a venue is one and then making the necessary renovations, securing permits, staffing it, designing it, etc. It would be just as expensive as mounting the Broadway production, potentially moreso. It will have a smaller occupancy which means higher prices will be needed to compensate. Sleep No More, Masquerade, Then She Fell, etc all run/ran on a loop, running the show multiple times in a night in order to get more audiences in. As it is, Jellicle Ball was not conceived for that, so either becomes substantially abridged or you are just doing the show on an 8-show schedule for a much smaller audience paying higher prices.

The main issue, which hobbled Jellicle Ball both downtown and on Broadway, is that it does not seem to be sustainable to perform in the long-term. Both were beset with callouts, injuries, and coverage issues just a few months into their runs. So if you're hypothetically moving it to a site-specific off-Broadway production, you are still going to have a large cast and an increasingly large team of swings and understudies- which means the production is costly to run, and will be running for much smaller houses.

Finally, the momentum the production had was already diminished with the Broadway transfer. A third incarnation in just a few years will be a tough sell to audiences.


But the worst part about all of this is, it’s very unlikely we will get a cast recording for it, so I guess this production will be officially be lost to history

Updated On: 7/27/26 at 08:51 PM

quizking101 said: "TheatreFan4 said: "malcs98 said: "
So do you really think this production will have no other life after Broadway???"

THIS specific production? Most likely not...

Could it go to licensing? Ehhhhhhh I feel like also most likely not.

Which is why I feel a cast recording is so important. Jellicle Ball is very specialized and we will likely never see it produced again because it requires a lot of authenticity to make it appear not exploitative."

My conversations with members of the producing team appear encouraging so far. They are trying to logistically figure things out and the petition - as I’ve said before - serves as a bellwether for demand/potential sales.

I implore you all to see that this isn’t some silly little exercise, but rather a real effort by many people (most unseen) trying to get this to happen BECAUSE we recognize that this may never happen again and so the recording will mark a theatrical moment by preventing it from being lost to history.

Hell, we even managed to get Betty Buckley on board with our efforts.

https://x.com/songanddancern/status/2081730252544360683?s=46&t=0XG46rJiPEOy8dyIeDsimg

If you want to naysay, fine. But think about what a gift this could be forall people who see themselves in this iteration, and the impact it can have on generations to come. Everyone has their niche hill to die on and this is mine

https://tinyurl.com/catsrecording"

Oh don’t worry quizking, I’ve already signed the petition and I encourage everybody on this board (even some of the naysayers) to do the same! It’s currently got 1,676 signatures as of this message, but let’s see if we can make it to 2,500 by the end of this week!