Critic’s Notebook: The Amazing Acro-cats bring feats of kitty agility to L5P

Try to remain calm as we share the following announcement:

A troupe of acrobatic cats will perform in Little Five Points this weekend.

Breathe deep, read it again slowly and just let the sheer awesomeness sink in: A troupe of acrobatic cats will perform in Little Five Points this weekend.

The Amazing Acro-Cats are real house cats traveling the country performing feats of agility in a cat circus. The show arrives at Little Five Point’s 7 Stages Theatre on April 23 and runs through May 1.

Show creator Samantha Martin (or, as she likes to refer to herself, “Chief Executive Human”) is an animal trainer who wanted to challenge the notion that cats can’t be trained. Martin uses positive reinforcement to train rescued house cats to perform tricks (the show includes a demonstration of her animal-friendly methods). The one-hour show features over a dozen cats, all former orphans, rescues and strays, walking tightropes, pushing carts, skateboarding, jumping through hoops, ringing bells, balancing on balls and turning on lights. 

The show includes star performances by Alley, who was just awarded Guinness Book of World Records status for longest jump made by a cat, and Tuna, who is the leader of the cat band The Rock Cats which, according to the press release, features Oz on guitar, Dakota on drums, Nue on keyboards, Sookie on chimes, Tuna on cowbell and (seriously: sit down before you read this) Cluck Norris, a chicken on cymbal and tambourine.

A portion of ticket sales goes to support cat and kitten rescue efforts. Martin also uses the show as a platform to advocate for cat adoption from local shelters and other organizations: she takes adoptable cats on the road, making her Amazing Cat-Bus a mobile fostering unit. The show runs April 23-May 1 at 7 Stages Theatre in Little Five Points. Tickets are $20.