On August 3, Manhattan’s Algonquin Hotel will host its Annual Celebration & Cat Fashion Show.
The historic hotel is famously known for The Roundtable, where New York’s literary and theatrical elite would gather and write dating back to the 1920s. New York Times theatre critic Alexander Woolcott wrote reviews on the third floor of the hotel; two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright George Kaufman (Of Thee I Sing!, You Can’t Take It With You) frequented the establishment, as did playwright Marc Connelly (Pulitzer Prize winner for The Green Pasture) and Edna Ferber, writer of Dinner at Eight and the novel Show Boat that inspired the musical of the same name.
The Algonquin Cat has been an emblem of the hotel since the 1920s, when a stray cat wandered into the lobby. Since then, many felines have stepped into the mascot’s shoes, but this connection sparked the idea for a cat fashion show to benefit the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals. This year, eight cats will model designs inspired by Tony-winning musicals. For tickets and information or to bid on silent auction items, visit 501Auctions.com.
Also on display at The Algonquin’s renowned Blue Bar are sketches by Broadway artist Al Hirschfeld.
Exclusive! Reliving the Algonquin Round Table Through the Eyes and Pen of Al Hirschfeld
(clockwise from bottom left) Robert Sherwood, Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Lynn Fontanne, Alfred Lunt, Frank Croninshield, Alexander Woollcott, Heywood Broun, Marc Connelly, Frank Case, Franklin P. Adams, Edna Ferber, and George S. Kaufman , 1962.
Al Hirschfeld
Bankhead was a satellite of the Roundtable and was a friend of many of the members.
Al Hirschfeld
Sherwood was a playwright and a screenwriter who first rose to prominence with his play The Road to Rome in 1927, which starred Jane Cowl. Hirschfeld drew that and Idiot’s Delight (1936), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1939), and There Shall Be No Night (1940). His play The Rugged Path starring Spencer Tracy (1945) was the center of the triptych of shows opening on Broadway in November 1945 that included the first NINA.
Al Hirschfeld
Hirschfeld drew Benchley for posters for his MGM film shorts such as How To Sleep in the 1930s.
Al Hirschfeld
One of the First Ladies of the American Theater in the first half of the 20th Century. Hirschfeld drew her in many roles she performed with husband Alfred Lunt from Caprice (1929) to The Visit (1958).
Al Hirschfeld
This playwrighting team wrote a series of hits such as Dinner at Eight, Stage Door, and The Royal Family.
Al Hirschfeld
The popular songwriter was also a satellite of the Roundtable and wrote a number of songs for his Music Box Revues at the Algonquin in the 1920s.
Al Hirschfeld
Broun was a journalist, columnist, and editor who wrote the foreword to Hirschfeld first book, Manhattan Oases, a guide to New York speakeasies.
Al Hirschfeld
Hayes also traveled in Roundtable circles and was considered one of the finest actresses on the American Stage for most of the 20th Century. Hirschfeld drew her 28 times over 50 years.
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