Malena & Klepetan’s Love Story Becomes a Theatre Play  

Malena and Klepetan (Photo: Ivica Galovic/ PIXSELL)

The remarkable love story of two long-legged birds from eastern Croatia, which has gone on for the last 16 years, has now been turned into a theatre play.

‘Malena & Klepetan – Love at first flap’, written by Mirjana Pičuljan Štriga and directed by Želimir Mesarić, will premiere on 26 April in Zagreb at Žar Ptica theatre.

The love story of storks Klepetan and Malena has captured the hearts of many for 16 years now. The two storks made their nest on a chimney in Brodski Varos in eastern Croatia more than two decades ago. The pair would fly together until poachers injured Malena’s wing which left her flying capabilities restricted.

Klepetan & Malena (Photo: Screenshot/YouTube/CroatiaFullofLife)

Every winter for the last 16 years Klepetan would leave Croatia and make his way more than 13,000 km to the warmer climates of Africa. Without fail, however, Klepetan has always managed somehow to negotiate his return to Croatia in the spring when the weather warms up to be reunited with Malena.

The story is about love, loyalty, and the necessity of coexistence between man and animal.

“Based on real events, a real contemporary story has been written with elements of Dr. Dolittle’s story where people and animals speak and everyone understands. There are also actors and puppets with video projections, which will cover the theater’s ceiling at one point, which will definitely surprise the children,” Mesarić said.

Love at first flap

The love story, which has attracted a lot of local and international interest, is a true motto for a wider educational life story and the protection of migratory birds that have been exposed to great distress on their migration path.

The play is created in cooperation with the Public Institution ‘Zeleni Prsten’ and GK Žar Birds who are taking part in the projects protecting storks in Croatia. Check out when the play in on the theatre’s website here.