Songstress Leona Lewis will make her Broadway debut in the first-ever revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s Cats. She will play the iconic role of Grizabella.

Based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the original Broadway production was record-breaking. It opened in 1982 and ran for 18 years (7,485 performances).

“Leona has one of the greatest voices of her generation,” Webber said. “We are all hugely excited about working with her.”

Lewis added, “It is an incredible honor to be asked by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber to join the Cats family … I will never forget seeing the show as a little girl and how blown away I was by the magical experience of it. I am beyond thrilled for my Broadway debut to be in such an iconic show. To work with a team as legendary as those on Cats is an experience I will cherish every moment of. I cannot wait to see the audiences out in NYC!”

Lewis has sold over 20 million records worldwide. She made her acting debut in 2014 UK film Walking on Sunshine. Cats will return to Broadway this summer at the Neil Simon Theatre with preview performances beginning July 14.

June 4, 2016