As one by one the stars of Broadway paired up with pets in need of homes and climbed onto the makeshift stage of Shubert Alley to make a pitch, more than one of the performers in effect explained that they weren’t just playing pet-lovers; they had gotten their own pets by going to one of the some two dozen animal shelters and adoption agencies with booths set up for the event.
At the 15th annual Broadway Barks, the hosts were co-founder Bernadette Peters and Harvey Fierstein, who substituted for Mary Tyler Moore. Among those who spoke out for adoption, and who appear in the video above are:
Billy Porter, and other cast members from “Kinky Boots”
Bebe Neuwirth, the sole performer who paired with a cat,
Michael Urie, still best-known for Ugly Betty, currently the solo performer in “Buyer and Cellar”
Valisia LeKae and other cast members of “Motown”
Andrew Rannells, once in “The Book of Mormon,” now on TV
Michael Mulheren, and other cast members of “Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark”
Corey Cott, and other cast members of “Newsies”
Jane Lynch, and other cast members of “Annie” (including the dog who plays Sandy)
Felicia Finley, and other cast members of “Mamma Mia”
Sigourney Weaver, and other cast members of “Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike”
Lauren Ward, and other cast members from “Matilda”
Andrea Martin, and other cast members from “Pippin”
Ann Harada, and other cast members from “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”
Carol Kane, currently in “Wicked”
Broadway Barks features adoptable animals from the following New York City animal shelters and adoption agencies including:
ASPCA®
Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue
Adopt a Boxer Rescue
Animal Care and Control of NYC (AC&C)
Animal Haven
Anjellicle Cats Rescue
Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons (ARF)
BARC (Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition)
Bideawee
Bobbi & the Strays
City Critters
Humane Society of New York (HSNY)
Husky House
KittyKind
Loving Touch Animal Center
Manhattan Valley Cat Rescue
Metropolitan Maltese Rescue
Mid Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League
NY Pet-I-Care
PetResQ
P.L.U.T.O. Rescue (Pet Lovers United Together As One)
Russell Refuge
Save Kitty Foundation
Sean Casey Animal Rescue
Stray from the Heart
Tigger Foundation
Urban Cat League.
A complete list of the performers who joined Bernadette Peters and Harvey Fierstein:
Annaleigh Ashford (Kinky Boots), Matt Bogart (Jersey Boys), Charl Brown (Motown The Musical), Bertie Carvel (Matilda The Musical), Joanna Christie (Once), Bryan Terrell Clark (Motown The Musical), Victoria Clark (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella), Corey Cott (Newsies), Lilla Crawford (Annie), Robert Cuccioli (Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark), Charlotte d’Amboise (Pippin), Brandon Victor Dixon (Motown The Musical), John Dossett (Newsies), Gabriel Ebert (Matilda The Musical), LaVon Fisher-Wilson (Newsies), Drew Gehling (Jersey Boys), Sophia Gennusa (Matilda The Musical), Ann Harada (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella), Carol Kane (Wicked), Morgan James (Motown The Musical), Andy Karl (Jersey Boys), Isabel Keating (Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark), Oona Laurence (Matilda The Musical), Valisia LeKae (Motown The Musical), Kara Lindsay (Newsies), Jane Lynch (Annie), Terrence Mann (Pippin), Lesli Margherita (Matilda The Musical), Andrea Martin (Pippin), Judy McLane (Mamma Mia), Michael Mulheren (Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark), Bebe Neuwirth, Laura Osnes (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella), David Hyde Pierce (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike), Billy Porter (Kinky Boots), Andrew Rannells, Bailey Ryon (Matilda The Musical), Stark Sands (Kinky Boots), Dominic Scaglione, Jr. (Jersey Boys), Milly Shapiro (Matilda The Musical), Matthew James Thomas (Pippin), Clarke Thorell (Annie), Michael Urie (Buyer & Cellar), Lauren Ward (Matilda The Musical) and Sigourney Weaver (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike)
