Circus veteran Gregory Popovich and his team of rescue animal performers offer two shows at New Brunswick's State Theatre New Jersey April 9
The trick to training cats, according to Gregory Popovich of Popovich Comedy Pet Theater, is to find something they like to do and "encourage their natural habits," like jumping or climbing. But what to do with the felines whose primary "natural habits" are sleeping and pretending they don't hear their names being called?
"I talk about the talented cats, but there are others that completely ignore me," Popovich said. "The cats that don't pay attention, they don't go on stage."
When Popovich brings his traveling animal show to State Theatre New Jersey for two shows April 9, he'll bring a cast of 14 cats, 12 dogs, three pigeons, a parrot and a few white mice. The shows, presented in partnership with radio station WDHA, aim to promote animal adoption and welfare.
Patrons are asked to bring pet food and supplies to donate to Middlesex County animal shelters.
"All of my pets are from animal shelters," Popovich said, "We send the message to the audience that these talented, smart cute animals need homes."
Popovich, a skilled juggler who grew up in a Russian circus family, adopted and trained his first dog and cat about 25 years ago and built a show around animals about 10 years ago. His is not a variety show, he said, jumping from animal trick to animal trick. Instead, there's an underlying story of a down-on-his-luck clown who encounters homeless animals and they join forces to find stage success. Besides animal acts, the show features human including acrobats from the Great Moscow Circus.
"It's a combination of human talent and pet talent and the audience has to decide who is best," Popovich said. "Up until now, the pets always get much more applause."
That's fair, because Popvich notes they are the real stars of the show. He has a special request for a "smell check" in his pre-performance rider. This animal-equivalent of a sound check involves allowing the night's performers to examine the stage by nose. Any animals that feel uncomfortable can have a night off.
"Each tour has two or three dogs or cats to fill a role," Popovich said. "Every show is a little bit different."
And the show always goes on, no matter what the circumstances, Popovich said. Sometimes the show, which is based in Las Vegas, is performed on a stage on a casino floor. The performers are accustomed to the normal casino sounds, like music, slot machines, clapping and yelling.
During one performance, a slot player hit a jackpot and the incredibly loud sound of coins falling was non-stop for about five minutes, Popovich said.
"The cats, for five minutes, they did nothing, just turned towards the loud noise," Popovich said. "When the last coin dropped, they turned around to finish their act. I've never heard an audience laugh so much in my life."
Popovich Comedy Pet Theater
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick.
Tickets: $35-80, available online at www.livenation.com. April 9.
Natalie Pompilio is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She can be reached at nataliepompilio@yahoo.com. Find her on Twitter @nataliepompilio. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.