Written by Rhonda Davis  –  It was a crisp and sunny Sunday afternoon, when my feline-friendly gal-pals ventured out of our LA homes for a super fun kitty show at the Santa Monica Playhouse.

My friend, Kat (no pun intended) kept saying,” I wonder if we’ll be going home with a new kitty? As it turns out, all the kitties in the show were rescues, orphans and/or strays—all trained to perform on command. There were even precious little baby kitties available for adoption.  It took all my strength and reserve, not to rush the stage and swoop up that sweet grey/white tuxedo kitten.

The first performer was a groundhog—who doesn’t love a ground hog? Well, maybe the ones that are cursing the last ground hog who indicated that there will be 6 more weeks of winter.  Can you say Polar Vortex, I bet you Chicagoans can!

Samantha Martin’s, Chicago-based, Acro-Cats is an educational and entertaining show for the whole family. However, it was mostly cat-loving adults, at our showing. Together, Samantha and her lovely assistant orchestrated the acrobatic animals with rhythm, grace and style. The star of the show is Tuna, a precocious shorthaired white kitty who also bowls. Yes, it was Tuna the Cat vs. Cluck Norris the Chicken.  And the winner is… I believe it was a tie.

The fun really began when the The Rock-Cats took the stage.  Consisting of 5 cats and a chicken. There was Oz on guitar, Nue on piano and synthesizer, Dakota who is our main drummer, Sookie on chimes, Tuna on cowbell, because everything needs “more cowbell” and Cluck Norris on cymbal and tambourine.

For those marketers out there, you have to agree that their product placement was a key move to attract the kitty lovers to the table of kitty shwag—all reasonably priced and F-U-N!  My crew happily walked away with four amazing magnets/pins.  However, I cannot stop thinking about the kitty ears that I passed up.  Oh well, I’ll have to catch the next show when they return next.

Catch the Acro-Cats through April 20th at the SM Playhouse;  Show times are: Thursdays & Fridays at at 7:00 pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00pm, 4:00pm and 7:00pm.

General admission tickets are $25 and are available at www.circuscats.com.

What: Performance
Where: The Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 4th Street, SM 90401-1391
When: Thursdays & Fridays at at 7:00 pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00pm, 4:00pm and 7:00pm – through April 20th!
Phone: 310-394-9779 ext 1
Website: http://santamonicaplayhouse.com/