TALKING WITH… Frankie

BUZZ EXTRA spoke with Frankie, the Chihuahua, who stars as BRUISER, Elle Woods’ dog, in the National Tour of LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL. Famed animal trainer Bill Berloni acted as the translator for Frankie.

BUZZ: Frankie, we’re excited that you are coming to PlayhouseSquare. Have you ever been on stage before?

FRANKIE: No, I’m making my theatrical debut.

BUZZ: Did you have to audition for the show?

FRANKIE: Yes, I had to audition for Bill (Berloni, the trainer). My first audition was in the animal shelter where I was living, and once I made it past that cut, my audition continued in Bill’s backyard in Connecticut.

BUZZ: What did you have to do for the audition?

FRANKIE: Get along with the other animals. Not fight with Bill’s family members. Perform the behaviors in the show, which included speaking, jumping and the ability to stay still. All on cue, to hand signals.

BUZZ: And you had no previous acting experience?

FRANKIE: No, except surviving in the animal shelter. You see, I was a stray who didn’t have a name. Bill Berloni adopted me in April 2008 when I was one year old. I was lucky.

BUZZ: Do you get paid?

FRANKIE: I’ve been offered dollar bills, but I prefer food, shelter, and care.

BUZZ: How many hours a week do you have to work?

FRANKIE: I rehearse about 20 minutes a day. When I get into performance, I do eight
shows a week, and I am on stage six times during each two-hour show. But I’m really working during the entire show because I’m not resting. The sound, the people, the activity, all the stimuli…I’m working that whole time.

BUZZ: Do you have an understudy?

FRANKIE: Yes, and HER name is Roxie. LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL has non-traditional casting, since Bruiser Woods is a boy dog!

BUZZ: Do you have any costumes?

FRANKIE: I have four costumes…all pink!

BUZZ: You don’t mind wearing pink?

FRANKIE: Even though I am a boy, all dogs are color blind, so I don’t mind.

BUZZ: Who helps you with your costume changes?

FRANKIE: I have a personal assistant, my own dressing room, my own van, special
accommodations, and star billing!

BUZZ: Do you stay in the same hotel and travel just like the rest of the cast?

FRANKIE: Yes, to the hotel, as long as it’s dog friendly, but I never fly because I would be placed in a crate, which is very uncomfortable. I travel in a customized van driven from city to city. My van has everything I need.

BUZZ: How do you like being on the road?

FRANKIE: I enjoy the fact that I have constant care. I get to interact with a group of people, I love the actors. The stage is my home and my space, I’m comfortable, even if the orchestra is going crazy and 1500 people are clapping wildly.

BUZZ: What can you tell us about your trainer, Bill Berloni?

FRANKIE: Bill is great! He has been training animals to be in the entertainment industry for 30 years. He started out as an actor but when he was asked to train a dog for Annie, he got Sandy from a shelter and the rest is history. Read his book BROADWAY TAILS about rescuing animals. He trains the animals and then they retire on his farm where he doesn’t have cages-they all live in his house! He and his family live with 40 animals. Cats, horses, donkey, dogs, llamas, chickens…

BUZZ: What do you like to do for fun?

FRANKIE: I like running around and jumping. I also like those miniature stuffed animals like you get with Happy Meals at McDonald’s, because I’m so small myself.

BUZZ: Do you have any future plans?

FRANKIE: I have a two-year contract for LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL. Then, after Broadway and touring companies are done, perhaps I’ll be cast in regional theaters and stock companies.

BUZZ: Anything else that you’d like to add?

FRANKIE: Just that in the show, Elle Woods treats my character, Bruiser, like a family member. I like to spread that word, that animals deserve care, love, and respect. That’s a key message of the show. I was rescued, and I hope my story inspires others to do the same.

BUZZ: Well, thanks.

FRANKIE: Thank YOU for my very first interview!

For more information on William Berloni’s Theatrical Animals go to:
www.theatricalanimals.com

Photo: Becky Gulsvig as Elle Woods and Frankie as Bruiser in the National Tour of
Legally Blonde The Musical