THE musical Cats may have felines will be back on the prowl for 31/2 weeks at the Esplanade Theatre come April 10.

But don't expect snazzy new add-ons to the show. The 21/2-hour performance is a recreation of the original 1980s classic by British music composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and almost everything - from sets and lyrics to costumes and make-up - will be kept the same.

All except the largely Australian cast which will perform here and in Hong Kong.

'With every new cast, they bring a fresh experience and feel to the show and that will be what's different in this production,' said Mr Tim McFarlane, managing director of The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific at the musical's press launch yesterday.

The show, which cost several millions of dollars to stage, is co-produced by British theatre group Lunchbox Theatrical Productions. The two firms were the same ones that set up the Tony Award- winning production's debut here in 1993.

At the time, local entertainer Jacintha Abisheganaden landed the plum role of Grizabella, a fallen glamour puss trying to fit in with a tribe of cats called the Jellicle.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times Life!.