Source: Dong-A Ilbo · 문화연예

What happened

According to Dong-A Ilbo, the musical Cats (캣츠) is returning to Korea after a three-year absence. Producer S&Co (에스앤코) announced on September 7, 2026 that the show will run from December 18, 2026 through January 3, 2027 at Keimyung Art Center (계명아트센터) in Daegu — not Seoul’s usual megahall circuit.

Dong-A frames the title as a long-running global staple: since its 1981 London premiere, Cats has played in 54 countries, more than 300 cities, and 23 languages, with 77 million audience members worldwide.

The breakdown

The piece describes Cats as a stage adaptation of T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (지혜로운 고양이들의 지침서). The plot centers on the annual Jellicle Ball (젤리클 볼), a festival where a gathering of cats each reveal a different life story. Through their competing bids to be chosen for rebirth as a new kitten, the show explores how varied paths carry different values — and what happiness means along the way.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score blends ballad, opera, rock, and jazz, which Dong-A cites as a core draw. Grizabella’s number “Memory” is singled out as the signature song, covered by countless artists outside the show.

Movement is another selling point in the article: cat-like choreography combines ballet, jazz dance, tap, and acrobatics. Dong-A does not report cast names, ticket prices, English supertitles, or whether the Daegu run will tour to other Korean cities after January 3.

Why it matters outside Korea

Cats is one of the few Western musicals whose brand travels without a current Broadway or West End hit — useful context if you only follow K-pop tours or Seoul blockbuster imports. Dong-A’s numbers underline that Korea’s musical market still slots decades-old global IP alongside homegrown titles; a Daegu anchor matters because major imports often skip the capital entirely or land there only on extension.

For travelers comparing theater destinations, this is a regional Korea booking window: late December 2026 through early January 2027, overlapping holiday travel and winter break — a different calendar from spring Seoul megahall seasons.

What travelers and expats should watch

• Venue and geography: Keimyung Art Center sits in Daegu, roughly 2.5 hours from Seoul by KTX. If your Korea trip is Seoul-only, this is not a subway-hop show — budget a Daegu overnight or a long day trip once tickets open. Dong-A publishes no price or presale date yet.
• Language and format: Assume Korean-language delivery unless the venue later announces supertitles. “Memory” may be the one song you recognize by ear even without libretto follow-along — still plan for a full Korean book unless confirmed otherwise.
• Holiday crowding: The run spans Christmas through New Year’s into January 3. Daegu hotels and KTX seats tighten around those dates nationwide; lock transport and lodging before chasing cast announcements the article does not yet provide.

Context

Read this as S&Co bringing a proven global cat-musical franchise to Daegu for a fixed winter holiday window, not as a new Korean original work or a Seoul-first megahall launch. The headline sells returning Jellicle cats, but the operational story for outsiders is regional access to a 77-million-audience title — worth planning around if you want Lloyd Webber spectacle without assuming it will migrate to the capital.

Source

Dong-A Ilbo · 문화연예: “객석 누비는 고양이들 돌아온다…뮤지컬 ‘캣츠’ 내한 공연” — Korean original; dates, venue, producer, global run statistics, plot, music, and choreography notes from Dong-A; paraphrased for briefing; read the original for photos and full Korean text.