Dogs/Pets Backstage

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 4/25/05 at 5:11pm

Does anyone know of any performers who bring their animals to the theatre with them? I know of atleast one- Cathy, the lead in Perfect Crimes always has her two dogs with her.

I can't imagine bringing mine, but then again, my parents have 11. (They're sled dogs.) God bless lesbian moms and their interests.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/25/05 at 5:15pm

James Naughton often brings his dog with him.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 4/25/05 at 5:24pm

Actually, I think a lot of performers do. Eartha Kitt had her two giant black poodles with her at the Wild Party.

[LilElphaba]

Posted: 4/25/05 at 5:27pm

i know when kristin was in wicked she used to bring her dog Maddie, but they told her she had to stop bringing her her dog there lol

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 4/25/05 at 5:38pm

Someone in the cast of Sweet Charity (I think it's Christina) has a dog backstage. Or at least while in Chicago. I know this because I was waiting at the stage door and then someone came from the door with a dog on a leash. It was really cute too .

[MTRBOI24]

Posted: 4/25/05 at 6:16pm

I read in a book, I forget the name, but someone brought their dog to the theatre and the dog escaped and went onstage during the show. haha. It's in that book where all the actors tell Broadway stories. Making it On Broadway, I think its called.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 4/25/05 at 6:29pm

Yeah I read that book too! The book is called Making It on Broadway..it's such an awesome book!! Here's what it says:

I went to a pet store with Mary Ann Lamb, my best friend. We found a dog that we thought was the cutest thing in the world. It was a pointer. Because no on wanted him, they were going to put him to sleep. Since we were making money in "Jerome Robbins' Broadway," we thought that we should buy the dog and give it to somebody. Each of us already had two dogs and we couldn't take a third. We bought the dog for $400 and gave him to the follow-spot operator in our show. He had a great house in the country.

Eight months passed.

One day, the operator said, "Hey, I am going to bring Blue into the city." I asked, "Can we take the dog in between shows?"

He said yes. Mind you, the dog was now huge. We took the dog and put him in Mary Ann's dressing room. Her dressing room was five flights up in the theater, and he would be safe there. Of course, no dogs were allowed in the theatre. I was about to come out for the Peter Pan number and was waiting in the wings. Mary Ann was doing Gypsy, and was sitting in a chair on stage. Out of nowhere, the dog walked out on stage. He managed to get down four flights of stairs, through a packed theatre, through the wings, between Terrence Mann's legs, and out onto the stage to visit Mary Ann, who was sitting all the way across the stage. She was in the middle of singing her song. The audience broke down laughing.

The dog simply walked out, wiggled, turned around, and walked back off stage. I still don't know how it happened. The dog was as big as a table, and there were more than sixty cast members in the company.

-Charlotte D'Amboise

[inishmore]

Posted: 4/25/05 at 7:04pm

During Taboo Jen Cody would bring her dog Zack a lot. And Michael Cerveris brought Gibson to Assassins often.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 4/25/05 at 7:07pm

Yeah, Michael Cerveris brings Gibson backstage to most of his shows. Apparantly she was a favorite of the crew at the Jane Street!

Also Spencer Kayden used to keep her dog in her dressing room during Urinetown. Once it got loose and ran on stage.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 4/25/05 at 7:13pm

Oooo, I just remembered that someone who worked at Studio 54 while Cabaret was still running, used to bring their Boston Terrier to the theatre every night. Not a clue who the person was, though.

[moljul]

Posted: 4/25/05 at 7:13pm

Bernadette Peters often brings her two dogs to the theater when she is doing a show and I know she was once reported to have her cat with her.

[inishmore]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:00am

Hey, Chrysant, where did Michael say that quote at the bottom of your post? It totally sounds like something he'd say but I was just curious.

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:04am

Jarrod Emick used to have a dog with him at Rocky Horror, we figured he was trying to scare the fans from talking to him, it was a pit bull or some other scary type dog, i forget.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:04am

I remember at Urinetown, Jen and Hunter brought their dog sometimes

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:13am

It was taken from his tour notes. I swear, he should publish them. It would be a best seller. There are so many great Cerverisisms in his notes, that was just one of my absolute favorites!

[inishmore]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:27am

It is true. When he talks/writes for a period of time (like in a journal) he definately begins to say random things. Usually they find that borderline between profound and just odd.

I'm sorry this is totally off the topic and everything.

Back to pets, Chita used to bring her dog to a lot of the Nine performances, if I remember correctly. (Sometimes her dog came out the stage door before she did)

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 12:44am

It wasn't really that random. Out of context, the quote does seem a little random, but in context, it made perfect since. I liked it because I could identify with it. It fascinated me.

And back to the scheduled discussion again...

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 8:10pm

thats funny about the dog on stage.

[decotodd]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 8:28pm

We had a few divas at the opera who'd bring their pooches to the theater, only to be summoned to the office of the general manager and told to leave fido at home/the hotel. The costume department had a fit with all of the fur flying around and rightly so.

[Tenorific2]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 8:30pm

Betty would bring her dogs to wherever she goes, and even had one in "Drood" with her and demanded the dog get paid for grooming, etc.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 8:35pm

Correction: Betty has her assistant bring her dogs wherever she goes.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 8:36pm

Eric McCormack often brought one of his three doggies to the theater when he was in THE MUSIC MAN.

[Phantom487]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 9:40pm

Cathy Rigby always has her cute little dog Emma backstage with her...

[Candleshoe2]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 9:52pm

Jordan Ballard from "Hairspray" had her dog with her when I saw the show in December.

[mabel]

Posted: 4/26/05 at 10:17pm

I saw Adam Pascal bring his dog, Carly, to Aida once, and I seem to recall Taylor Dayne having her Pug at the Palace during her run in Aida.

I believe Jen Cody/Hunter Foster's dog got loose on stage during their run in Grease (forget where I read it though). I think it was during the dance...hmmm...

Chrys, I love that Cerveris brings Gibson everywhere...LOVE those pix of them in the sleeve of Dog Eared (it was months after buying it before I found it in there!)