CATS has broken The Mayflower's box office records by becoming the Southampton theatre's biggest-selling show over a four-week period.

The classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical attracted more than 55,000 customers during its run from April 13 to May 8.

The achievement was made all the more remarkable by the fact that this was the second visit for the show in the last ten years.

"I think we knew this revival of Cats would be popular, but the scale of ticket sales has taken us by surprise," said Paul Lewis, head of marketing at The Mayflower.

Taking into account the 125,000 people who came to see the show at The Mayflower in 1994, Cats now ranks in the top three for ticket sales behind two other Lloyd Webber musicals - Phantom of the Opera and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

"Cats provides a magical evening of theatre and deserves its success. We hope it won't be another ten years before we see it again," said Mr Lewis.

Based on T S Eliot's poetry book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, Cats premiered at the New London Theatre in London's West End on May 11, 1981 with a cast that included Elaine Paige, Sarah Brightman, Bonnie Langford and Paul Nicholas.

The show ran for exactly 21 years in the West End and became the world's most successful musical.

Another Lloyd Webber musical, Starlight Express, is provisionally scheduled to run at The Mayflower from May 11 to June 18 next year, with tickets for the show going on sale this summer.