‘Cats’ Were Always Meant to Vogue

Ms. Buckley, a Tony Award-winning actress and singer, originated the role of Grizabella in the Broadway production of “Cats."

In 1982, I walked onto a Broadway stage in the premiere of “Cats” as Grizabella, a faded glamour cat lit by a single shaft of moonlight, and I sang about memory. We in the cast knew we were part of something exciting. Something great even. We didn’t know yet that we were stepping into a cultural phenomenon.

What’s easy to forget is how singular “Cats” felt when it first arrived on Broadway. It was an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical built from T.S. Eliot’s poetry with no plot to speak of. The evening unfolded less like a........

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