I guess Tybalt wasn’t the only rat-catcher in this production of “Romeo and Juliet.”

A stray cat brought unexpected levity to Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” during a performance by the Imperial Russian Ballet in Izmir, Turkey. Far from being upset by the four-legged interloper, the dancers evidently took to the feline balletomane, as he or she was brought out a few minutes later to share in the final bow. Later, it was shown that the ginger started turning up at rehearsals.

Scroll down to watch all three videos at the link.

https://slippedisc.com/2026/06/cat-steals-the-scene-in-ro-meouw-and-juliet-ballet/

Isn’t the Imperial Russian Ballet now properly identified as the Mariinsky?

Or hereafter, the Meow-riinsky?