DJ Webz turns West 44th Street into Jellicle block party

On Friday night, West 44th Street briefly belonged to the cats.

DJ Webz, the disc-spinning, party-hopping alter ego of EGOT winner Andrew Lloyd Webber, took over the sidewalk outside the Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street), home of “CATS: The Jellicle Ball,” for a post-show DJ set celebrating the production’s nine Tony Award nominations. For a few minutes, at least, Broadway traffic had to accept that the Jellicles had the right of way.

Webber, spinning alongside DJ Bill Coleman, drew a large crowd of fans outside the theater just before Tony Sunday. He was joined at the booth by members of the “CATS: The Jellicle Ball” company, including Ken Ard, Jonathan Burke, Sydney James Harcourt, Junior LaBeija, Leiomy, Robert “Silk” Mason, “Tempress” Chasity Moore, Xavier Reyes, Nora Schell, Bebe Nicole Simpson, and Garnet Williams.

Also on hand were Ballroom community members Casey Dash, Antonio Mugler, and Diego Mugler, along with “CATS” alumni Holly Cruz, formerly Sillabub; Eddie Buffum, formerly Mister Mistoffelees; Jim Abbott, former tour music director; and Natasha Davison, formerly Victoria.

The playlist was pure Broadway-meets-ballroom mischief: Andrew Lloyd Webber classics, mashups, including “Abracadabra of the Opera” — Lady Gaga meets Lloyd Webber, because apparently Broadway has entered its DJ era; and a run of ’70s and ’80s anthems beloved by the Ballroom community. Among them: Madonna’s “Into the Groove,” Cheryl Lynn’s “Got to Be Real,” CHIC’s “Good Times,” Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” Candi Staton’s “Young Hearts Run Free,” and Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell.”

This was not DJ Webz’s first time turning a Broadway sidewalk into a dance floor. The persona made its debut in October 2021, when Webber played a block party outside the Majestic Theatre to mark the reopening of “The Phantom of the Opera.”

“CATS: The Jellicle Ball” is directed by 2026 Tony Award nominees Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, with choreography by 2026 Tony Award nominees, Drama Desk Award winners, and New York City Ballroom icons Omari Wiles of the House of NiNa Oricci and Arturo Lyons of the House of Miyake-Mugler.

The production features music by Webber, who is Tony-nominated this year for Best Orchestrations along with David Wilson, Trevor Holder, and Doug Schadt. The musical is based on T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.”

“CATS: The Jellicle Ball” premiered at Perelman Performing Arts Center, PAC NYC, in 2024. The Broadway production is produced by Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals and Mike Bosner, by arrangement with LW Entertainment.

Tickets are available at Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200, and at the Broadhurst Theatre box office.