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The hit musical 'Cats' has had a makeover for its comeback in London in December. One of the traditional songs will be a rap. The musical's writer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, wants the musical to be updated to appeal to a new generation of theatre-goers. 'Cats' is based on a famous book called "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by the famous British writer T. S. Eliot. It is about a group of cats who must decide which cat gets to come back to life. 'Cats' first opened in London in 1981 and in New York in 1982. It won many awards and ran for twenty-one years in the English capital.

The character Rum Tum Tugger will perform the rap. He is a rebellious street cat. Lloyd Webber said: "I think Rum Tum Tugger is going to have to become a street cat for today and he has to do hip-hop." He added that the 1930s poem that the cat sings has a strong rap rhythm. He joked that T.S. Eliot was the world's first rapper, saying: "I've come to the conclusion…that maybe Eliot was the inventor of rap." The show's producer said the rap was for, "a whole generation of kids who haven't seen 'Cats'". He said parts of the musical could "be reinvigorated in very contemporary terms".