April 3, 2008
Those Four-legged Broadway Babes, and the Man Behind
Them
You'll love The Three Tomatoes story this
week. It's a New York City rags to riches tale that will warm your heart for days. In fact, just
writing it now, even though we are in the throes of the dreaded flu, is soothing our aches and pains. The protagonist of the story
was homeless, scruffy, and one day found himself on death row, despite his innocence. Granted a reprieve at the eleventh hour by a
guardian angel, he went on to become a Broadway super star, an iconic legend, and an inspiration to tens of thousands. He goes by
one name. And his story will have you singing "The sun will come out tomorrow" by the time you read to the
end.
His name is Sandy, and you know him well.
He is the dog that became the very first Sandy in the legendary show, Annie. And his guardian angel, Bill Berloni is an amazing man whose name is well known behind the scenes on Broadway because he is the top
theatrical animal trainer, and has been since he rescued the first Sandy from an animal shelter more than thirty years ago.
His dogs, all rescued from shelters, have appeared on Broadway and nationally in shows like Annie, Chitty Chitty Bang, Bang, Wizard of
Oz, and currently on Broadway in Legally Blonde. We found out about Bill's story and his amazing dogs when we saw a clip of a
documentary, called Lucky Dog, that's been in the works for three years. The clip brought tears
to our eyes, and joy to our hearts as it chronicles Bill and his special relationship with these animals. The film makers are
hoping to bring Bill's remarkable story and his tireless work on behalf of the Humane Society and abandoned and often abused animals
everywhere, to a much larger audience.
How Sandy became Sandy and how he and Bill got famous
Bill Berloni was not a high school jock, so he decided to join the drama club
to meet girls. And then he discovered he actually loved the theater and acting. One summer shortly after high
school, he became an apprentice at the Goodspeed Opera House painting scenery. The show needed a dog, but
had no budget for a dog or a trainer. The producer approached Bill with an offer. If he could find and train a dog, he
would give Bill a small part in the show. Bill jumped at the chance. (Little did he know, everyone else in the
production had received the same request and turned it down.) He went to a local animal shelter, the first of what would become many
visits to shelters over the years. It was there he found the dog that became Sandy, that he adopted for $7 with the producer's
money. Bill, whose only dog experience was the collie he grew up with, bonded with Sandy immediately, and trained him for the
first performance of a then unknown show, called Annie. The show bombed, the summer
ended, and Bill and his new dog Sandy, went off to New York University and NYC together, where Bill hoped to pursue his theater
dreams.
Dreams do come true, just differently sometimes
About a year later, Bill got the thrill of a phone call from director Mike
Nichols who was bringing Annie to Broadway and he wanted to know if Bill still had Sandy, and if he and Sandy would join the
show. And the rest as they say is now history. Sandy became the first dog to ever be a "character" in a play, and he
played the role on Broadway for seven years. And Bill, at the tender age of 20, became Broadway's famous animal trainer.
Sandy went on to live out his life with Bill, and every subsequent Sandy has also been rescued from a shelter and trained by Bill for the
national tours of Annie that continue over thirty years later.
Those Sandys of course, all lived with Bill as well. As do
the three Chihuahuas and the two bulldogs that are currently in Legally Blonde. They are part of the 19 dog entourage, 5 cats, 3 horses, 1 donkey, and two
llamas that reside with Bill and his wife and daughters on their farm in Connecticut, which he refers to as the "house that Sandy"
built. And where do all those dogs stay? Well in the house of course, and they take
turns rotating the dogs in their bed at night too, which we were so glad to hear. We have always allowed our dogs in our bed, much to the
chagrin of non-dog people, or those with better trained dogs (or so they thought.) Bill also mentioned they are midway through
the building of a new, larger home to better accommodate all the animals.
Bill says training animals for shows is always a new challenge, and of course,
each animal is different. In fact, Chico, who plays Bruiser the Chihuahua in Legally Blonde is the smallest dog
he's
ever trained for the stage. When he stood on the stage of the Palace looking out at the huge theater, he
said he
knew he'd have to find a little dog that thought it was a German Shepard. And off he went to a shelter, and eventually
found the dog to play Bruiser, a little dog with a big attitude. In performances night after night, Bruiser
steals the stage, along with Rufus the bulldog (played by Chloe). Chico now has two understudies, and Chloe has one.
All rescued from shelters, and all living with Bill and family.
Helping Homeless Animals
Over the years Bill has become an ambassador for the plight of homeless
animals. In his work with the Humane
Society,
he profiles dogs, and trains others to profile dogs so that they can find the right match for human and dog. We asked Bill
what to consider if you are looking to adopt a pet from a shelter. His first advice is not to adopt because you feel guilty;
remember this is a "til death do us part" deal. Don't be impulsive. Become an informed
adoptive parent. Find a shelter that will help match a dog to your needs. He is also a big believer in
adopting older dogs. The personality you see, is what you get, and they are most likely already housebroken.
(And if you've ever lived through the puppy chewing stage with a dog, like The Three Tomatoes have, this is good advice
indeed.)
If you can't adopt a pet, you can still help by donating to the The Sandy Fund at the Humane Society of New York. Set up to
honor the memory of the rescue dog who originated the role of Sandy in the Broadway production of Annie, the fund will provide for the needs of
rescued animals long into the future.
Lucky Dogs Indeed
Bill's story as documented in Lucky Dog, shows his
gentle and humane approach to training animals, and will do much to focus on the issue of dogs in need of rescue. Lucky
Dog proves that everyone can be a star, and every dog can, and should have his day. If you are interested in helping bring this
documentary
to its conclusion, please contact The
Three
Tomatoes at tomato@thethreetomatoes.com.
And the luck goes both ways. Bill considers himself to be the
luckiest man alive, to combine his passion for animals with his love of the theater. And he's very happy to let his animals
be the stars. Look for Bill's memoir, Broadway Tales, due out this June.
We told you, you'd love this story.
Here's to every dog having his day.
'til next week,
The Three Tomatoes
Copyright©2008. The Three Tomatoes. All
rights reserved.
