Covent Garden London
The heart of London's West End
 Cats  New London Theatre |
End of a Feline Theatrical Era
Cats, the longest running musical in London, is closing exactly 21 years after it opened.
A cat may have nine lives but all good things eventually come to an end and the show at Covent Garden's New London Theatre is closing on May 11th 2002.
More than eight million people have attended almost 9,000 performances. It was a daring, new style of musical when it opened. We await news of the show that will follow into this unusual theatre.
The front four rows of seats revolve through 180 degrees so that performances can take place in the round. It was designed by the radical theatre designer Sean Kenny and architects Chew and Percival.
The theatre was completed in 1972, the time when it was planned to redevelop the whole of Covent Garden. It is part of a mixed development which includes shops, a function suite, car park and 62 flats.
The flats are home to many long-standing local people, including Margaret Rowland, who at 103 years old on 26th January 2002, was our oldest resident.
(Text by Robert Clark)
© Covent Garden Community Association, March 2002
[ Home | About | Advice | Cartoons | Contact | Gallery | Handbook | Links | News | Newsletters | Sponsors ]