In the early 1990’s an unusual theatre appeared in Moscow. Its actors are… cats, and it’s called the Moscow Cats Theater. It was founded by a remarkable clown and animal-tamer Yuri Kuklachyov. Today People’s Artist of Russia Yuri Kuklachyov is the guest of our program.
“The idea to set up my own theatre came to me fifteen years ago,” Yuri Kuklachyov says. “It was difficult at first. We had fifteen cats only at the beginning, then we had twenty, thirty, forty. New plays came along. Now there are 120 cats, and they performed all over the world. We’re happy that we’ve been able to open such a theater, which popularizes the unique Russian art and  brings joy to people across the globe.”
It all started at the Moscow Circus, where Kuklachyov did stunts as a clown. In 1976 he appeared with a pet cat, and that was a sensation, for it was believed until then that cats did not respond to training. The clown came out in brightly colored clothing with a cat Strelka sitting on his shoulder. The cat felt quite at ease as if she had been performing for a good part of her life. A genuine actress she was! Needless to say, the debut was a sweeping success!
Yuri Kuklachyov’s stunts with his four-legged friends earned him nationwide fame and won the admiration of thousands across this country.
“In Moscow, when out in the street, I hear repeated “Hellos!” coming to me from all sides, as if I was everyone’s good acquaintance,” Yuri Kuklachyov goes on to say. “I was with my impresario once, and he was surprised so many people knew me. When he remarked with surprise, “I didn’t know you had that many acquaintances!”, I responded, “the whole of Russia!”
Yuri Kuklachyov has long become a household name in Russia and is widely known abroad. The Moscow Cats Theatre enjoys an invariably smashing success in different countries. In Canada Kuklachyov became a favorite with both adults and kids as far back as 1976.
“Canada will stay in my memory forever, for that was an unforgettable experience,” Yuri Kuklachyov recalls. “In 1976 we toured all over the country, visiting Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Winnipeg. The reception was very friendly. I still receive a lot of touching letters from my Canadian fans – they remember me to this day. Many years later I was touring North America and went on a day’s visit to Toronto. Our performances were all sell-outs with the houses packed to capacity. “Oh, that very Kuklachyov!” said Canadians, who came to see  the performance of the Russian clown they liked, and everyone seemed to be pleased.”
Among Kuklachyov’s admirers was the then Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
“Mr.Trudeau attended the premiere in Ottawa, after which he invited me to his place,” Yuri Kuklachyov says. “That was something unheard-of - a clown invited by the Prime Minister to visit him in his home. We visited his villa, and he invited me and my wife to lunch. Everything went off well. Prime-Minister Trudeau is no longer living, but I’m trying to establish contact with his children. Our theatre’s PR manager is helping me. We’ll be sure to find them. They were little kids then and sat on my knees. I still keep a photo of us together, so we’ll have a lot to talk about and recall.”
For Yuri Kuklachyov his Cats Theatre is a major achievement of his life. “The theatre gives meaning to my life,” he says. That’s why his working day in the theatre lasts from early morning to late at night. Yuri’s wife Elena is working with him, and his elder son, Dmitry has followed in his father’s footsteps. Dmitry is a talented actor, director and animal-tamer. In a word, there appeared a dynasty of Kuklachyovs, unique in its own way. And those four-legged darlings – the cats - have long become for Yuri Kuklachyov not only devoted friends, but also members of his family.
“My Beloved Cats” reads the title of one of the books written by Yuri Kuklachyov. Here’s what the famous clown says about his pets:
“I love all cats I’ve worked with, but some left a clear and indelible trace in my memory. Strelka was the first, then Kesha, a remarkable Tom-cat, so gifted that he appeared in films and was able to play a part from a blank sheet, without rehearsing it. Kesha loved and recognized me only. When I was around, he was all gentle and sweet, but when I wasn’t, he was missing me and became so upset that he could hurt someone with his claws.”
Finding a clue to each of the 120 four-legged performers is no easy. But Yuri Kuklachyov copes with that task brilliantly. His remarkable talent has earned all sorts of foreign prizes and awards, among them “The Golden Crown”, given to him in Canada for his achievements in animal-training, and “The Golden Oscar” viewers’ sympathy prize he was awarded in Japan.
Yuri Kuklachyov recalls his tour of the Country of the Rising Sun:
“When the performance was over, I looked from behind the scenes and saw the audiences crying in their seats. Strange, I thought, no one is leaving and everyone is crying. I was shocked. It can’t be that I hurt their feelings. I ran backstage and asked the impresario why the people were crying. And he replied, “Yuri, we are so sentimental. I dropped a tear or two myself. We all  felt the fairytale was over, and it was time to go back to the bustle of everyday life”. People saw us as a close friend with whom it would be such a wrench to part.”
How do Yuri Kuklachyov’s best stunts appear? Many of them are “invented” by cats themselves. “I am an observer only,” Yuri says, “who allows them to do whatever they like.” One of Kuklachyov’s most favorite numbers appeared thanks to his much beloved cat Strelka.
“I came home and discovered that the cat is nowhere to be seen,” Yuri Kuklachyov recalls. “I looked into the kitchen and found her sleeping in a saucepan. I toke her out of the saucepan, but she climbed back. I took her out of the saucepan again, and she climbed back again. That inspired a new number, and the title for it - “The Cat and the Cook” – was taken from one of the fables by an outstanding Russian fabler Ivan Krylov. We’ve been all over the world with this number, and everywhere it was received with rapturous applause – in Japan, in Canada, everywhere we went.”
“From Russia with Love and Kindness” – that was the way many New York newspapers wrote of the Cats Theatre. Kuklachyov and his four-legged company have been on tour of the United States a number of times and have won the hearts of many Americans. Now the Moscow Cats Theatre has a branch in Manhattan, so the Russian cats are now performing on Broadway - and with great success.
Yuri Kuklachyov is a multi-faceted actor. He works in every imaginable genre and is superb as a juggler, equilibrist, stuntman, magician and animal-tamer, even though he himself prefers being called “the cat teacher”. He also writes books for children and appears in films.
“I put every bit of my soul in the job I’m doing,” Kuklachyov says. “And it’s never bothered me what I am in the first place – a clown, an actor or an animal-tamer. I’m just Kuklachyov, and… that’s it.”
03/02/2006
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