Beth Skogen
Mel Rocco, left, with Sammy, center, and Lexie in their Overture dressing room.
When I arrive at the well-lit dressing room of Sammy and his understudy, Lexie, the two large “poodle-doodles” offer up fuzzy paws to grab. “Yeah, they’re paw holders,” says Mel Rocco, a theatrical animal handler who takes care of the animals while they tour the country with Finding Neverland.
Lexie, 7, is gray and smiley. Sammy, 4, is brown with soulful eyes, underneath a soft curtain of hair. They are both charmers, flopping all over Rocco during a photoshoot, offering kisses, paws and rotating into various positions, each one cuter than the next.
Sammy plays the role of Porthus, the real-life pooch who inspired the character of Nana in Peter Pan. Sammy nailed his Madison debut at the Jan. 8 opening. When he made his entrance in the first act, the audience oohed appreciatively, and he did some fine Method acting involving butt sniffing in the show’s penultimate scene.
This is Sammy’s second national tour of the musical. “He’s the most experienced actor in this production — with the most shows under his belt,” says Rocco.
Sammy was plucked from a high-kill shelter in Indiana when he was a puppy. He was raised and trained in the menagerie of one of the country’s top animal trainers, Bill Berloni, who lives on a Connecticut farm with his wife and 35 rescue dogs plus a host of other creatures. “They’re better trained than any actor I’ve worked with,” Rocco says of Sammy and Lexie.
Rocco has an extraordinary rapport with the dogs, who stare at her adoringly and climb onto her with the slightest provocation. She has a long association with Berloni. When she was 9, she played the lead in the first Broadway national tour of Annie, and Berloni trained the dog who played Sandy. “After college, I kind of realized that I still wanted to be a part of it, but maybe on the other side,” says Rocco. “When I was a kid I was super happy working with animals and with Bill, so I reached out and reached out, and he finally gave me a chance.”
For the last couple of years she’s been working “nonstop” with Berloni and his animals. “Meeting Bill changed my life forever.”
Being responsible for the dogs involves hotels, long walks, meals and adventures. The show has four delightful child actors, who Rocco gives alternating sleepovers with the dogs.
“As amazing as the road can be, it can be hard sometimes but at the end of the day, I have them, and they love me and it helps me get through,” says Rocco. “They are the best travel buddies anyone could ever ask for.”
In a phone interview, Berloni says that training animals to act onstage is far more difficult than for the screen. “I’m the only guy who does this. It’s easy to do movies and TV; you build a bond with the dog and stand behind the camera and tell it what to do. But the animal has to be commanded by the actors who are on stage. It takes a lot of skill, and not every actor or child has that skill.”
Sammy takes commands or cues from eight different actors in Finding Neverland. But he clearly loves his job, and Berloni makes sure that all the animals who work in productions are treated well. “When you meet Sammy what you should notice is how happy he is and how well-loved,” Berloni adds. “The only way to get an animal onstage seven days a week is if they want to: no fear, no fatigue, no boredom. It has to be fun every time to create that kind of experience.”
Rocco says Sammy can’t wait to get onstage. “He is one of the smartest dogs I’ve ever encountered in my life,” she says. “He will hear the music; he will know it’s his cue and it’s almost time to go. I never have to worry, and that’s due to Bill being such an animal whisperer.”
After the interview, the dogs wag excitedly as Rocco leashes them up for a midday adventure. For the dogs, she’ll look for a groomer. For herself, she’s scheduled a tattoo. “That’s what I like to do.”
Sammy and Lexie’s trainer: William Berloni, of William Berloni
Theatrical Animals Animals living on Berloni’s Connecticut farm: dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, ducks, chickens, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, mice, macaws, parrots, cockatoos, parakeets, finches, canaries, pigeons, doves, owls, hawks, falcons, crows, snakes, lizards, frogs, turtles, iguanas, spiders and insects
Animals Berloni doesn’t work with: big cats, bears, primates
Animals trained by Berloni for the Broadway show The Ferryman: a goose and a rabbit
Upcoming production: A musical adaptation of the children’s book Because of Winn-Dixie. The musical is the first one to have a dog as a main character (with 100-plus cues). It will star Bowdie (Peter Pan Live!, High Maintenance)
Bodie’s understudy: Lexie
