CATS, the world's most successful musical, returns to Manchester next month. This follows a sell-out, month-long run in March last year.

The show comes to the Opera House from August 30 and will play a limited season of just 16 performances.

Cats, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T S Eliot, is directed by Trevor Nunn, with associate direction and choreography by Gillian Lynne, and design by John Napier.

The show opened at the New London Theatre in May 1981 and played almost 9,000 performances until its closure on May 11, 2002 - its 21st birthday. Cats won the 1981 Olivier Award for Best Musical and, after opening on Broadway, scooped seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Director.

This tour will be produced by David Ian for Clear Channel Entertainment.

Cats was originally produced in London by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group.

Cats facts

On January 29, 1996, Cats, in London became the longest running musical in West End and Broadway history when it broke the record of 6,137 performances, previously held by the Broadway production of A Chorus Line.

In London the show grossed more than £136 million and was seen by more than eight million people.

Worldwide, Cats has so far grossed in excess of $2 billion and been seen by more than 50 million people.

Cats has been performed in 11 different languages in more than 300 cities in 26 countries.

The song Memory has had nearly 53,000 plays on radio and television in the UK alone and airplays in the USA exceeded two million in 1998.