Sleep No More producer would take over shuttering Cats
Randy Weiner, the producer behind Sleep No More and the immersive Masquerade, says he would take over Broadway's shuttering Cats: The Jellicle Ball. The Tony-winning show closes Aug. 8, and Weiner argues Broadway's failing business model needs an immersive, venue-owned alternative.
Key Takeaways
- Randy Weiner says he would take on Cats: The Jellicle Ball after its planned Broadway closing.
- The show, which won three Tony Awards in June, is set to shutter on Aug. 8 after four months.
- Weiner argues Broadway economics and rents make it hard for original hits to find new audiences.
- He points to Masquerade's building-and-bar ownership as a more sustainable production model.
- Andrew Lloyd Webber has publicly warned that Broadway faces a wider crisis beyond one closing.
Who wants to take over Cats: The Jellicle Ball?
Exclusive comments to Page Six put Weiner at the center of the conversation. The partner at the Box and force behind Sleep No More said he loves the production and would "so take that on."
Weiner is currently producing Webber's Phantom of the Opera as the immersive Masquerade off-Broadway. He framed a possible Cats rescue as both a creative passion project and a challenge to how commercial theater is financed.
For more celebrity and Broadway breaking coverage, see our Celebrity Breaking News hub.
Why is Cats: The Jellicle Ball closing so soon?
Cats: The Jellicle Ball is scheduled to close on Aug. 8 after only four months on Broadway. The abrupt announcement rattled the theater community, especially because the show had drawn major buzz and won three Tony Awards in June.
Andrew Lloyd Webber responded with a public plea for theater owners, unions, and producers to act urgently. He argued Broadway cannot survive by relying only on proven hits and warned of increasingly dark theaters.
Weiner told Page Six that several shows are "waiting in the wings to take over the venue" once a production is forced out, underscoring how quickly Broadway real estate turns over.
How would Weiner keep the Jellicle Ball alive?
"Broadway economics make it hard to find a new audience, and Broadway's business structure is predicated on failing," Weiner said. He believes Cats and other original shows could endure under a different model.
Masquerade has succeeded in part, he said, because the production is also the proprietor of the building and the bar within it. Many have blamed Broadway's struggles on ever-rising Times Square rents.
"I'm one guy. I'm not an industry, but I would do anything to help them," he added. He said he would build a whole club around the show, with a bar and dancing afterward. Weiner has seen the production on and off Broadway and noted that some of its performers worked at his former W. 57th Street club, the Stranger.
He also said Webber "sincerely wants to change the system," noting that Webber gave him Phantom — "the most successful show in the world" — to explore in a completely different artistic and business way.