Finally, a circus act I can feel good about watching. I had the good fortune of seeing a sneak peek of this fantastic show. Gregory Popovich is an amazing man. His love for animals is apparent, as they perform on the stage together: cats pushing dogs in baby carriages, balancing acts and lots of fun. The World Famous Popovich Comedy Pet Theater is a family-oriented blend of the unique comedy and juggling skills of Gregory Popovich and the extraordinary talents of his performing pets.
This remarkable show features an amazing cast of more than 30 pets. And the best thing about it is that every single animal in the show was rescued from local shelters and transformed into international stage stars. The pets include cats, dogs, parrots, geese and even trained mice.
Popovich is a fifth-generation circus performer from Russia. His parents and grandparents were clowns and acrobats in his homeland. And yes, they also worked with animals. Young Popovich wanted to set himself apart from his family, so he taught himself to juggle and performed with the Moscow Circus. He was so skilled that he was the first Russian performer to be invited to join Ringling Brothers Circus. He ultimately landed in Las Vegas, Nev., performing at Circus Circus.
Eventually, he wanted to start his own circus act and go back to his roots, working with animals. He told me that back in Russia, animals were purchased from breeders. When a friend told him about the animal shelters in America, he was shocked. “We have nothing like this back home,” he said. “A place where the government takes care of homeless animals? It’s unheard of. I decided that I couldn’t let these animals get looked over, so I get all my performers from the shelter.”
Popovich’s unique philosophy toward animal training is to build tricks around the animals’ personalities instead of pushing them to perform outside of their natures. His technique centers on positive reinforcement and compassion. The hardest part, he says, is training the cats. “You have to find out what the cats like to do and then train them to do it on command,” he explained. “They are too independent to start from scratch. I’ll let you in on a little secret – I have several cats that do the same trick. Sometimes, no matter what, they just won’t perform. But the show must go on!”
I was surprised to learn that he has trained geese to perform in the show. When I asked him how he came across them, he broke out in joyous laughter and replied, “I was looking for another dog to add to the show. The shelter had just acquired several geese from a woman who passed away. They had no place to go and so the shelter had to take them. I thought, if I can train cats, I can train geese. And so I was the idiot who took them home. But train them I did. And the kids love them.”
Las Vegas has named the show one of the best family attractions for each of the last seven years. The variety of European-style clowns, amazing juggling and balancing acts have an added element of surprise because Popovich finds a way to showcase his cats and dogs. And just like his grandparents, he has made the show a family affair. His wife, Izolda, and daughter Anastasia join the animals along with a crew of very talented Moscow acrobats and comedians.
I absolutely love that he not only entertains thousands but is dedicated to raising awareness to the problem of homeless pets, and raises money for the cause by organizing fundraisers for local shelters and animal advocates. It’s a show I know I won’t miss.
Join Popovich and his animals Friday, Sept. 30 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. at Freud Playhouse at UCLA. The box office can be reached at (310) 825-21011. For more information, visit ComedyPet.com.
Lori Fusaro has been voted the best portrait photographer by FoxTV three years in a row. She lives in Culver City with her husband, four cats and dog. Contact: Lori@FusaroPhotography.com, FusaroPhotography.com.