By Rachel Flanagan
Hamilton's Cats.
Photo by Emma McIntyre of Getty Images
On April 21st at the The Montalban Theatre in Hollywood, celebrities and cat lovers came together for Hamilton's Cats, the 7th annual celebrity musical fundraising event for Kitty Bungalow Charm School for Wayward Cats. Kitty Bungalow has rescued thousands of feral cats by building a street cat socialization facility in California to help solve the overpopulation of cats in the Los Angeles area through Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) Programs. as well as providing love, care, and rehoming services. This year's show ended up being the most successful of Kitty Bungalow's to date, raising more than $65,000 for the feral cats of L.A.
Hamilton's Cats told the story of a small-town cat rescue trying to raise money for their organization by putting on the musical
Cats. Unfortunately, things aren't looking so good for Hamilton and his production until the secret gets out that Andrew Lloyd Webber himself is planning to attend and now everyone wants in on the action!
Hamilton's Cats was written by actors
Fred Willard, Mindy Sterling and
Nicole Sullivan, each of whom have been huge supporters of Kitty Bungalow for years and did this out of their love for cats.
Fred Willard and Carla Jimenez.
Photo by Emma McIntyre of Getty Images
Before the show, guests enjoyed tunes from Almond & Olive, Prize Puss Raffles, magic from the Fantastic Fig and his cat Newton, and even cat celebrity Sunglass Cat. Part theater production, part talent show, the cast sang and danced to various songs from Broadway musicals such as Cats and
Hamilton as well as other hit songs. Additionally, Moshow the Cat Rapper reminded everyone that cats need their paws, so you better not declaw with his original rap about the importance of not declawing your cat, no matter how much they scratch your furniture!
Celebrities included Eric Anthony as Hamilton, Mindy Sterling (Austin Powers/Con Man) as Kitty, Nicole Sullivan (
Black-ish) as Debby Ray Lemmings, and Fred Willard (
Modern Family) as the Mayor. Other guest stars included Thomas Dekker (
The Sarah Connor Chronicles/Heroes), Emily Deschanel (
Bones), Nikki Hahn (
American Horror Story), Carla Jimenez (
The Mick), Tyler Hilton (
One Tree Hill), Hal Sparks (
Lab Rats), Kristen Vangsness (
Criminal Minds), Moshow the Cat Rapper, and Maitland Ward (
Modern Family). Other local actors and actresses appearing in the production include Allie Costa (
Alien vs. Musical) and Anthony Fontana as well as a heap of other talented actors, singers, dancers and musicians who all deserve the credit for helping put together a superbly entertaining Catstravaganza.
Joy Lenz.
Photo by Emma McIntyre of Getty Images
Every celebrity, musician, actor, and crew member involved in the production participated in the event out of the kindness of their hearts and all funds earned throughout the event, from the tickets to prize puss raffles to on-the-fly lunch with Mindy Sterling and Nicole Sullivan to a phone call with Emily Deschanel to a brewery tour with Kristen Vangsness, went to support Kitty Bungalow and the Los Angeles feral cat population. Shawn Simons, Kitty Bungalow Headmistress, may not have had a voice that evening, but Hamilton's Cats helped shed a light on the ongoing feral cat problem that continuously faces Los Angeles and she can hold her head up high for all she has done for the love of cats.
Though Hamilton's Cats was a one-night-only event, the feral cat population needs help every day. The Kitty Bungalow is dedicated to their continued effort to socialize, rehome, adopt, TNR, and provide education for the feral cat population in Los Angeles. Kitty Bungalow, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, is 100% donation funded and relies on those donations, adoptions and the help of kitty-cuddling volunteers to make it run. If you're interested in adopting a cat, volunteering or learning more, or just want to be in the know for the next star-studded cat event hosted by Kitty Bungalow, you can check out their website at
www.kittybungalow.org
Mindy Sterling, Emily Deschanel, Nicole Sullivan, and Kitty Bungalow Headmistress Shawn Simons.
Photo by Emma McIntyre of Getty Images