Even a sudden storm couldn’t rain on the parade of dozens of adoptable four-legged friends as Broadway’s best helped them find fur-ever homes at Broadway Barks in New York City’s Shubert Alley.

The 26th edition of the annual event, founded by Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters, was hosted by Peters and Sutton Foster on August 3, 2024, and welcomed 22 animal shelters and rescue groups, plus a bevy of Broadway’s brightest stars.

In the first, sun-drenched hours of the event, booths brimming with precious pups and air-conditioned vans filled with fabulous felines invited theater enthusiasts to meet their best furry friends. 

Among them was Tony Award winner Victoria Clark, who fell head-over-paws for a puppy named Jayme from rescue group 1 Love 4 Animals. Jayme will join Ollie, a golden retriever Clark adopted at a past Broadway Barks, at her loving home. Across Shubert Alley the rescue groups and shelters were bustling to process applications for everything from tiny terriers to giant Great Danes, from cuddly kittens to senior Siamese cats.    

Just as rain began to fall, Peters and Foster shared a heart-warming take on “Old Friends” from Merrily We Roll Along, joined by a starry ensemble of Broadway favorites including Brooks Ashmanskas, Jeannette Bayardelle, Shoshana Bean, Victoria Clark, Jenn Colella, Gregg Edelman, Sara Gettelfinger, Brad Oscar, Maryann Plunkett, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard, Paulo Szot, Michael Urie and Betsy Wolfe.

The joyful day came to a swift end immediately after the song, though, because of the arrival of the  thunderstorms. Among the Broadway actors waiting in the wings to share their hearts and talents to help pets in need were Eric Anderson, Philippe Arroyo, Dan Berry, Maya Boyd, Stan Brown, Andréa Burns, Andrew R. Butler, John Cardoza, Gabriela Carillo, Joe De Paul, Olivia Donalson, Jasmine Forsberg, Julie Halston, Dorian Harewood, Nikki M. James, Jeremy Jordan, Sky Lakota-Lynch, Storm Lever, Isabelle McCalla, Wade McCollum, Paul Alexander Nolan, Eddie Redmayne, Jelani Remy, Didi Romero, Adi Roy, Austin Scott, Emily Skinner, Steven Skybell, Alexandra Socha, Dennis Stowe, Justin David Sullivan, Jordan Tyson, Ben Jackson Walker and Khaila Wilcoxon. Though many of those stars never hit the Broadway Barks stage, their passion for helping pups and cats drove a successful day of animal adoptions. Since its inaugural event in 1988, more than 2,100 cats and dogs have found loving homes through Broadway Barks.

As crowds and clouds began to form in Shubert Alley before Peters took the stage, the audience of pet-loving Broadway fans were delighted when Bean and Wolfe unexpectedly grabbed microphones for  an impromptu rendition of “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent.

Broadway Barks featured adoptable animals from 22 New York City area animal shelters and rescue groups: 1 Love 4 Animals, Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniels Rescue, Adopt A Boxer Rescue, Animal Care Centers of New York City, Anjellicle Cats Rescue, Best Friends Animal Society, Bideawee, Bobbi & the Strays, Catstoria, City Critters, Francis’s Friends, Hearts & Bones Rescue, Husky House, Linda’s Cat Assistance & Adoptions, Little Shelter Animal Rescue & Adoption Center, Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, North Shore Animal League America, Pet ResQ Inc., SaveKitty Foundation, Second Chance Rescue, SPCA Westchester and Urban Cat League.

Broadway Barks producers were Richard Hester, Patty Saccente and Scott T. Stevens.

Photos by Angela of York and Mikiodo