Young love can be the most magical and soul-destroying emotion a person can feel. Just ask Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare’s most famous star-crossed lovers. Spoiler alert: In this masterpiece, the two characters take their own lives after misunderstandings and passionate longing. It’s a whole thing. Now add an adorable tiny cat to the mix, and those tears became joyous laughter for those lucky enough to be in the audience.
The Imperial Russian Ballet Company was performing their interpretation of the play in Izmir, Turkey, when a tiny, furry ginger cat took to the stage. As the dancers playing the two leads lay flat on the stage next to (fake) flickering candles, they must keep straight faces as the cat leaps curiously around the set.
The ginger took a particular liking to Romeo’s luxurious locks of hair and pawed at him so hard, he finally broke a smile just before he’s dragged off by Juliet, who has woken up and found Romeo gone.
The cat gets a curtain call
For his or her part, the cat could possibly have been simply copying the elegant leaps of the dancers, as choreographed by Leonid Lavrovskiy. At one point, laying next to Romeo’s head, said cat begins to casually clean its back before jumping up on a little table. Its orange tail never stops its slow wag to the music. Playful, mischievous, and brilliantly cute, it’s impossible not to admit that the feline stole the show. So much so that one of the dancers brings it out for a much-deserved curtain call.
Ro-MEOW and MEW-liet
The clips of these wonderfully impromptu moments have been shared on various accounts all over social media. The comments are outrageously clever, with some referring to Romeo as “Ro-MEOW.” (I’ll add to that, MEW-liet.) One writes under TRT World‘s post, “Hey, Romeo… Before you die dramatically, where’s my dinner?”
This Instagrammer makes the excellent point that perhaps Romeo and Juliet would have been better off if they’d looked closer, as the cat did. “If Juliet just did half of the inspection our orange cat did. Built different.” (Side note: Really, it was Romeo who failed the inspection.)
Another addresses how common an occurrence like this might happen in Turkey. “I love how Turkish people just embrace that cats may just, without warning, be part of whatever it is they’re in the middle of.”
Stage cats unite
Posted on CBS News Chicago, the anchors discuss the fact that it’s an indoor venue and question how the cat got in. One suggests it’s an alley cat, noting that there are lots of outdoor cats in Turkey. Another theorizes that maybe it’s a “stage cat” sent to make sure all productions run smoothly.
The mystique of cats in Turkey
Stray cats in Turkey and surrounding countries in Southern Europe and the Middle East are extremely common. Some believe it stems from religious practices. Travel writer Jodi Ettenberg shares a quote from a piece in The Economist which explains just how sacred cats are considered. “By one account, Muhammad cut off his sleeve when he had to rise for prayers so as not to disturb a feline that had curled up on his robe for a nap. In another tale, the pet cat of Abu Hurayrah (literally ‘father of the kitten’) saved Muhammad from an attack by a deadly serpent. Muhammad purportedly blessed the cat in gratitude, giving cats the ability to always land on their feet.”
They add that felines could have literally saved lives by killing mice, thus helping to protect from plagues. “Cats were considered guardians in other respects for the Islamic world: they defended libraries from destruction by mice and may have helped protect city populations from rat-borne plagues.”
Even for those not religious, cats seem extra welcome by most Turkish residents who help feed them and keep them healthy. The BBC recently published a piece referring to Istanbul as “Catstanbul,” and for good reason.
As for how that particular ginger cat joined the production, it’s hard to say. But, at this point, it might be tough to imagine the play without its playful antics. If only someone could write a musical about cats. Oh wait…
