Stephen Morgante, director of the musical masterpiece "Cats" attends a press conference on Sunday, January 13, 2008.

British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's famous and classic musical "Cats" will return to Beijing on January 19, Website Sina reports.

Director Stephen Morgante and some leading actors in the drama appeared at a Sunday press conference in Beijing, accompanied by two naughty "Cats," who jumped around and played practical jokes.

The report says Beijing folks will have the chance to enjoy the Chinese version of the show's breakout hit Memory.

One Asian face was seen among the 36 performers. He is a South Korean actor that plays the role of the wise old leader, Deuteronomy.

The organizers revealed that tickets for the Saturday and Sunday performances have already sold out so they may add an extra show on each weekend day.

"Cats" already met with a storm of applause in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou a few days ago.

The Tony award-winning musical first came to Beijing in 2004.

"Cats," has been a worldwide hit since it first played in London's West End in 1981 and it has been performed in more than 20 languages. It first opened on Broadway in 1982 and is generally considered as the longest-running Broadway musical of all times.

The itinerary for the musical's upcoming China tour will include stops in Beijing, Macao, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Dongguan and Shenzhen.

A performer's prank makes other people laugh at a press conference on Sunday, January 13, 2008.

(CRI January 15, 2008)