Wherefore art thou, Romeow?

A stray cat made itself right at home on stage during the emotional zenith of a performance of Romeo and Juliet by the Imperial Russian Ballet Company in Turkey as onlookers filming from backstage laughed themselves silly.

During the final scene, where Romeo is lying dead after drinking poison, the cat curled up right next to the star-crossed lover, cleaning itself and even pawing at the prone actor’s hair.

Juliet, meanwhile, was forced to emote through the heart-wrenching finale in spite of the furry stage crasher, staying purr-fectly in character as she threw back her head and wailed in sorrow at his side as the music dramatically swelled.

She pulled her beloved’s body a foot or so away from the feline interloper, which the cat took as an invitation to play and excitedly bounded back and forth, swatting at Romeo’s hand and hair with its paws.

Someone backstage can be heard laughing hysterically as they filmed the unusual moment with their phone.

As Juliet embraced her lover one last time, the cat seemingly lost interest and jumped up on a nearby piece of furniture for a front-row perch to take in the action.