A goose. A miniature horse. A bunch of cats who think rules are for dogs.
Welcome to Popovich Comedy Pet Theater, the most joyfully chaotic show on the Las Vegas Strip. It’s a riot of fur, feathers and laughter, led by a genial ringmaster who clearly never heard the old showbiz adage: “Never work with children or animals—they’ll steal the spotlight.”
Gregory Popovich, a fifth-generation circus performer from Kyiv, Ukraine, has spent most of his life juggling, clowning and touring with some of the biggest names in the business, including the Great Moscow Circus and Ringling Bros. An appearance on America’s Got Talent got him to the semifinals. These days, he shares the stage with a more unconventional cast: a rotating squad of cats, dogs, birds, mice and more. All of them rescues, none of them particularly interested in stage directions … and that’s when hilarity ensues.
During the show, Popovich—an affable, slightly rumpled man with the energy of a favorite uncle who always seems to be fetching a quarter behind someone’s ear or doing a backflip at the backyard barbecue—juggles bowling pins and balances on ladders while dogs scamper out of windows, cats leap through hoops and birds perform suspiciously intelligent tricks. There are sight gags, slapstick bits, balancing tricks and physical comedy routines that feel borrowed from another era—in the best way possible. Popovich drifts through it all with a kind of gentle mischief, playing the exasperated straight man to his unruly animal companions.
And the audience can’t get enough of it. During a recent afternoon performance, the theater was filled with families and tourists of all ages. There was lots of laughter, punctuated by delighted squeals from the littles in the front row.
What truly elevates the show beyond novelty is its emotional core. These aren’t just animals trained to do tricks; they appear, unbelievably, to be enjoying themselves. For all his big-top silliness and undeniable physical-comedy skills, Popovich’s real talent lies in his ability to connect with the animals on a deep level. His love for them is palpable, from the way he gently shuttles puppies off the stage to the way he gives a cat or a bird a peck after a trick well done. His name may be on the marquee, but Popovich happily gives his furry friends their time in the spotlight.
This circus is also a family business. His daughter, Anastasia, performs alongside him, and at home, the family cares for more animals, all rescues from shelters. Popovich Comedy Pet Theater has called Planet Hollywood home for 15 seasons and has been seen in more than 20 countries.
In a city whose entertainment is built on illusion and a significant amount of pyrotechnics, Popovich Comedy Pet Theater is a breath of fresh air. It doesn’t rely on spectacle so much as affection, and at the heart of it is one man’s love for all creatures great and small.
It just might be the sweetest hour you’ll spend on the Las Vegas Strip.
Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. 702.260.7200. comedypet.com
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