Image by By Erik Heerlein Meeeeeeow

Cats Hugging Cats, brainchild of Greg Tavares of Charleston's comedy hub Theatre 99, is one of the funniest local improv groups to hit 99's stage recently. Tavares always warns the audience at the beginning of each show "This is gonna get weird, ok?!" And if having Satan as a father and realizing you're the antichrist is funny to you, then you'll love Cats Hugging Cats.

Cats bases its performance off of the "long-form" improvisation technique, but focuses its scenes on one specific technique called "The Game of The Scene," meaning that scenes start off normally, with a typical set and cast of characters. Then some unusual twist occurs, sending the rest of the scene off into hilarity and insanity of epic proportions.

"A show may start out with a scene about a parent-teacher conference or a board meeting, but by the end, chickens have risen up and taken over the world and cavemen file class-action lawsuits. If you like your improv unpredictable, then Cats Hugging Cats is for you. ... Oh yeah, and everyone in the show is totally hot as shit," explains group member Andy Livengood.

Cats Hugging Cats, which the Charleston City Paper describes as a "solid comedic team," features the likes of local talent such as Livengood, dubbed the City Paper's "Best Local Comic," and Tavares, Theatre 99's founder and owner. Jason Groce, Anne Bowen and Brian DeCosta round out the cast with their own individual fantastic funny-skills.

Cats performs regularly at Theatre 99 but has also appeared in the Black Box Improvisation Festival in Atlanta, as well as the Piccolo Spoleto Fringe Festival and the Charleston Comedy Festival.

Cats Hugging Cats will be performing this Wednesday, April 28th, at Theatre 99 with the all-female musical improv group Shattering Pearls. The show starts at 8 p.m. and costs $5.

To purchase tickets online, go to etix. You can check out Cats Hugging Cats at its website or Facebook page, as well as Theatre 99's website, for more info.