If you have pets, think back on how difficult it was to train them. Now, try to think of how hard it must be to train dogs for Broadway productions. We recently saw "Legally Blonde the Musical" at the Palace Theatre, where we were able to go backstage. We interviewed the animal trainer, William Berloni and met his dogs, Chico and Chloe who play Bruiser and Rufus in the show.
As an aspiring 19-year-old actor, Bill volunteered to build sets for a local theater house. While he was there he was offered a part in a play, which would allow him to earn his equity card, in exchange for finding and training a dog for another production. He accepted and must have really enjoyed it because he continued train dogs for the next 30 years. For "Legally Blonde," he needed to find dogs that would be comfortable on stage in front of more than 1,000 people per show. He searched rescue shelters until he finally came across Chico, who proved himself to be perfect for the job. After finding Chico, he found Chloe, also at a rescue shelter, to play the part of Rufus. These are the two main dogs, but they both have understudies too.
He brought them to live on his farm in Connecticut. First, Bill familiarized himself with the dogs. Then he exposed them to new people and places until they were ready to go to the rehearsal hall. After they had worked there for a period of time, they were brought to work at the actual theater. The process takes about a year. The dogs respond to certain touches and signals. For example in the opening number Chico, who plays Bruiser, appears to be having a conversation with Margot. He has to bark at the right times and is signaled when and when not to bark by Margot putting her hand up to his face.
But don't think these dogs are only serious performers! One funny experience was with Chloe on one of her first nights. She was so excited to go on stage that she ran on and threw up right in the middle of the stage! The actors had to clean it up, while continuing on with the show. Between the lights, the sounds, the chaos, and the many distractions, it's amazing that they don't just pass out of sheer exhaustion. They are very talented and we were lucky to meet them and their incredible trainer. If any of you animal lovers are looking for a good musical to see, look no further than "Legally Blonde the Musical"!
We met Chico, Chloe and Louis (understudy for Chloe ---she has never made it on stage yet) and we asked Bill some questions about them:
How long does it take you to train the dogs?
It depends on what type of show we are doing and how much time they give us. Usually I like to have a year to prepare them. All the dogs we get we get them out of animal shelters. Sometimes it takes three months just to make them healthy and then usually six months to train them and then we have two months rehearsal.
So they are not trained from birth to do this?
No, all the dogs from the very first Sandy to Chico have been rescued from animal shelters.
What type of training did you begin with for this show?
Having seen the film for "Legally Blonde" I knew that Bruiser had a big part. And when you do a movie you can say quiet on the set, and keep everything nice and calm but in a theater where there are people and music and orchestra I knew I needed a dog that would be very brave so the first thing I did was look for a little chihuahua that I thought wouldn't be afraid to come out on the stage in from of 1,500 people and bark. I found Chico in a shelter in Newark, New Jersey. And he had been tied out in a backyard and he had been very defensive. In fact he bit me the first day I met him. Once I found the brave dog I had to teach him to be nice and calm so that he could do the show.
Where do you train the dogs?
We have a farm in Connecticut. I am married and I have a 10-year-old daughter and we have a four-acre farm that is all fenced in and we start training them there. If I trained them there too long they would learn how to do it on my farm in Connecticut. So we do that for a short time and start bringing them other places and they learn they have to do it in other places. Then the next place we train them is in the rehearsal halls, and then ultimately on stage.
What happens if the actors have pet allergies?
That is a very good question, because you would think if you were a director or a producer and you were doing a show with animals you would ask the actors that before you hired them. Often they forget or the actors lie. I meet them, and all of a sudden they are sneezing and breaking out in hives and it becomes our problem. We try to forestall that but there is nothing we can do. If the actor tries to sings and takes allergy medicine, it hurts their vocal chords so they can't take allergy medicine. It is really a problem. But I betcha on the tour for "Legally Blonde" we will find an actor with allergies.
Are the dogs affected on stage by perfumes and smells?
Only by the smells of food. Like last fall when there was a street fair in front of the theater, someone was sitting in the third row with a bucket of fried chicken, and Chloe came out and was. Normally we have rules backstage that none of our crew has food backstage.
Are the actors allowed to feed the dogs on stage?
Sometimes. If you feed the dogs on stage the audience will see that so we try to avoid it at all costs. There are certain behaviors that if we don't have enough rehearsal time to get them to do it for love and affection then we will give the actors a treat and if we do we try to hide it so the audience doesn't see it.
When the cast changes, do you have to retrain the dogs?
The show stays exactly the same for the dogs. They do it for the actors on stage because they love and respect them. So when new cast members come in we have to begin that relationship all over again. Introducing them first as friends and then when they become friendly with the actors we start teaching them the hand signals so that the dogs are doing it for people they like and know.
So, since Chloe has an understudy, does Chico have an understudy?
Yes. His name is Boo Boo and he is very gregarious and he likes to go hang out with the other cast members.
What is the best experience you have had on stage with the dogs?
There is best and there is funny. I always like it when we do a performance and we make people cry. That means the audience is paying attention and we are moving them in some way. Certainly making them laugh is OK too. Funny? When "Legally Blonde" opened in San Francisco Chloe was only in one scene but she was so popular that they decided to write another scene for her when we came to New York. She was so excited to run out on stage that she threw up in the middle of the stage, which is what bulldogs do when they get very excited . . . I have never had an animal go to the bathroom in the middle of a show.
