Who directed Cats: The Jellicle Ball?

Cats: The Jellicle Ball was directed by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch. They jointly shaped the production’s distinctive reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical.

Their version moves Cats away from its familiar junkyard setting and places the Jellicle gathering in a world inspired by New York ballroom culture. The production combines the musical’s existing songs with club-oriented beats, runway-style movement and ballroom categories, making the annual contest feel like a live social event rather than a conventional fantasy pageant.

Levingston and Rauch are co-directors, not the choreographers. Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles created the choreography, while Josephine Kearns served as dramaturg and gender consultant. The tempting alternatives name creative figures associated with other productions, especially Trevor Nunn, who directed the original Cats, but they are not the directors of The Jellicle Ball.