Broadway Tails : Heartfelt Stories of Rescued Dogs Who Became Showbiz Superstars

The sun always comes out tomorrow for the shelter animals Bill Berloni rescues—sometimes from death's door—and then trains to meet the demands of the stage. Berloni was a nineteen-year-old theater apprentice more then three decades ago when he was offered his first big break: find and train a dog to appear in the original production of the Broadway hit Annie. Defying the odds, he rescued a down-on-his-luck dog from a local shelter and, together, they redefined what animal performers could do. Since then Berloni and his trainers have provided animals for hundreds of films, commercials, and television shows as well as live theater, including productions of The Wizard of Oz and Winn-Dixie, all over North America. In this heartwarming book, he tells the true stories of “throw-away” animals who came back to work with some of entertainment's biggest names, names like Bernadette Peters, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mike Nichols, the New York City Ballet, and many more. This updated edition includes an account of Berloni's search for the newest Sandy to star with everyone's favorite red-headed orphan.

Bill Berloni was a nineteen-year-old theater apprentice when he was offered his big break: the chance to act professionally if he could find and train a dog to appear in the original production of the Broadway hit Annie. Defying the odds, Bill rescued a dog from a local shelter and, together, they redefined what animal performers could do.
In Broadway Tails, Bill tells the true stories of “throw-away” animals who came back to co-star with some of entertainment’s biggest names, from Richard Burton to Sarah Jessica Parker. Here you’ll meet:

• The original Sandy, who starred for seven years in Annie
• “St. Vito,” the deaf bull terrier, who saved the show
• Pi, the first dog to dance with the New York City Ballet
• Chico, the Chihuahua with attitude who became the face of one of Broadway’s newest hits

Often funny, and always touching, these and other stories demonstrate the extraordinary things rescued animals can do.

Publishers Weekly

Animal stage trainer Berloni has been rescuing animals and putting them on the boards for more than 30 years, and his career memoir brings with it some expected charms-lovable, heartbreaking animal stories; giddy tales of Broadway success; and showbiz backbiting. His story begins compellingly when, as a 19-year-old intern on the set of the original 1975 production of Annie, he was charged with finding and coaching the dog that would play Sandy; miraculously, "the dog nobody wanted... that had been run over by a truck just twelve days earlier" played Sandy for seven years. Berloni's at his best when describing his methods or recounting theatre gossip; the chapter about the 1995 Annie revival, and the abrupt dismissal of 11-year-old star Joanna Pacitti (who won a contest), is related with real ire (Berloni was friends with Pacitti and her family). Unfortunately, much else is dully dutiful; neither Berloni nor his co-writer Hanrahan bring a particularly strong voice to the typical business of memoir. Since it focuses on his remarkable craft, it should interest animal lovers and fans of Broadway. B&w photos.
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William Berloni and his company have spent the past thirty years training dogs and cats for Broadway productions, primarily using animals rescued from shelters. As a high schooler in 1976, Berloni had rescued an Airedale mixed breed only hours before it was slated for euthanasia. The terrier was cast as Sandy in the musical Annie and performed there for seven years. The bulldog currently starring in Legally Blonde and her bulldog understudy were rescued from Newark and from North Carolina. Berlonis story is completely engaging as he talks about being the first to train actors to work with animals on stage, his love for mutts over purebreds, as well as the four-acre animal retirement compound where he lives. With photos throughout this delightful book, we learn details about how his dogs are trained, how they react to Broadway life, and his own personal rise to fame. An enchanting writer (whose first book, Doga, has sold more than 350,000 copies for Chronicle) with an inspiring story for animal lovers, theatergoers, and anyone who loved books such as Marley & Me.