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

Both animal and theater lovers are likely to be amused and moved by Berloni’s memoir of his work over three decades as the pre-eminent animal trainer for Broadway shows. Beginning in the mid-1970s, Berloni put his love of animals to professional use when he was asked to find the right dog to play Sandy in the original production of Annie. Establishing a pattern that has carried through to this day, Berloni visited animal shelters to rescue the right creature for the part. His experience encompassed both hits (such as Annie and Camelot) and flops (Frankenstein, Nick & Nora), but each production offered unique challenges, which Berloni mastered in a diligent and creative way. (For example, to get one dog to bark excitedly during a crucial scene in Annie 2, he had a production assistant wear a horse costume offstage.) There are occasional flashes of puffery (e.g., describing a scene in which the dog playing Sandy walks on stage, sits, and walks off as “one of the most moving moments in Broadway history” is a bit much), but overall Berloni does an excellent job of explaining how he did his job, even with animals as seemingly intractable as cats, pigs, and rats. His repeated rescues of abused animals are touching, and there’s no shortage of funny stories. (Sept.)