Andrew Lloyd Webber musical has link to Basingstoke and Deane

Inspired by his favourite childhood book of poems, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, written in the 1930s by T.S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to compose music to the already existing lyrics, creating an anthology in concert form.

In 1980 he performed 10 of the pieces at the Sydmonton Festival, in the borough of Basingstoke and Deane, to which he invited T.S. Eliot's widow, Valerie.

Afterwards, she gave Lloyd Webber unprecedented access to some unpublished verse, unfinished fragments and letters by her late husband, which included Grizabella the Glamour Cat, from which Cats the musical was born.

Cats was first performed at the New London Theatre on May 11, 1981, when Judi Dench was the original choice for the Glamour Cat.

But she suffered two accidents during rehearsals and Elaine Page came in at the last minute.

Lloyd Webber re-mortgaged his property in Sydmonton to finance the project, and it almost fell flat after a group of film executives he hoped would invest in the show were not impressed when he played them the score.

But it went on to win the Olivier Award for Best Musical in 1981 along with a string of other awards, before closing on its 21st birthday in 2002.

Cats began its second life in December 2014 when it returned to the West End for a hugely successful Christmas season at the London Palladium.

Now, more than three decades after the idea for the musical came alive in Sydmonton, Cats has arrived just down the road at The Mayflower theatre in Southampton, set to entertain audiences until August 20.

It is the middle of the night, pitch black dark and not a sound can be heard.

Then suddenly neon cats eyes glow from the crevices of a rubbish tip, glaring at the audience.

Prowling and prancing down the aisles, and creeping out from under the rubble, the Jellicle cats reveal themselves one-by-one in the larger than life junkyard, as the live orchestra replicates the sound their delicate movements might make across the stage.

The colourful and mysterious feline characters are introduced to the audience one at a time, each accompanied by their own song and dance, in a show which is almost an uninterrupted dance sequence, including tap, ballet, street and modern.

You'll never look at a cat in the same way again, as their interesting and loveable personalities come to life.

When Cats was first performed at the New London Theatre, the space was transformed for the show, with surprise entrances and exits to create intimacy with the audience, and no seat more than 60 feet away from the performance area.

The production at The Mayflower attempts to replicate this intimacy, as the cats, wearing fabulous costumes and make-up, prowl among the audience, and lighting from the stage extends into the auditorium.

One of the most intriguing cat characters is Grizabella The Glamour Cat, played by Marianne Benedict, who staggers on stage looking bedraggled and unkempt.

Isolated and shunned by the other cats, her shabby appearance is a far cry from the glamour puss she once was, as she totters unsteadily, trying to reach out to her former feline friends.

The first act ends with a short version of Memory - the most famous and well-known song from the show - teasing the audience for what is to come.

During the second act the audience is introduced to Asparagus, played by Greg Castiglioni, an old and frail cat who has lived an exciting life on stage, once playing the understudy for Dick Whittington's cat.

Macavity, played by Javier Cid, whose elusive personality is a mystery to the other cats, is represented by a song performed to a sultry and smooth dance by two female felines, before the tempo is raised by the appearance of the fabulous Mr Mistoffelees, who leaps into the spotlight in a sparkling costume.

Showing off in front of the other cats, he parades himself in an impressive solo dance, before Grizabella performs a powerful and mesmerising rendition of Memory.

As the show comes to an end, the cats back-flip and twirl across the stage and along the aisles, delighting the audience, having won them over with their varied personalities.

Cats runs at The Mayflower until August 20.

Tickets are on sale from Mayflower Theatre Box Office tel: 02380 711811 or online at mayflower.org.uk.