How Often are Live Animals in Broadway Shows? 

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This time, the reader question was: How often do legit Broadway plays and musicals include live animals in their companies?

In Broadway’s current revival of Gypsy, the role of Rose’s dog Chowsie is played jointly by two beloved canine cast members named Tana June and Indy. Dogs are the animal most frequently seen on stage in Broadway shows, from productions of Gypsy to productions of Annie—where the character of Sandy pulls at heartstrings and figures integrally in the iconic song “Tomorrow”. 

Other shows that have included dogs among their companies are Legally Blonde, where Elle’s sidekick Bruiser is essential to her Harvard Law journey, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, where Roxy keeps Billie Holiday company, and The Wiz where Dorothy’s Toto comes along to Oz. The Will Rogers Follies and Carnival both feature entire dog acts. 

While cats are less frequently seen than dogs on the Great White Way, they have made appearances. The hit 1950 play Bell, Book and Candle, about witchcraft, included a black cat. Broadway’s 1982 adaptation of Alice in Wonderland featured a live cat as well as an actor as the voice of The Cheshire Cat. More recently, The Lieutenant of Inishmore and a revival of You Can’t Take It With You have had live cats on stage and integral to the action. 

No discussion of live animals on Broadway would be complete without a mention of Bill Berloni, who pioneered animal training on the Contemporary Stage. Starting with Sandy in the original production of Annie in 1977, Berloni has managed the training of animals in dozens of Broadway shows, even being awarded a special Tony Award for his body of work.

That said, animals have been appearing on Broadway since New York theatre was given that name! From the 1931 play The Barretts of Wimpole Street which featured a cocker spaniel to the 1935 musical spectacular Jumbo which famously featured an elephant, animals have been bringing down the house for centuries. At the same theater where Rosie the elephant appeared in Jumbo, Harry Houdini once vanished an elephant during his act in 1918. Because of this action at the Hippodrome, once on 6th Avenue between 43rd Street and 44th Street, the Belasco Theatre nearby was built equipped with its own giant elephant elevator—still visible as part of the building’s structure today. 

While an elephant might be the largest live animal to appear in a Broadway show, attention must also be paid to the 1994 Best Little Whorehouse in Texas sequel which included a live horse! The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public only ran for 16 performances, and for all of those, a horse named Starr was kept in a nearby trailer ready for her appearance at the Lunt-Fontanne. Audience members recall seeing the horse urinating on stage during several performances of the show. 

Of course, this kind of mishap is likely with animals on stage, but less of a distraction depending on the size of the animal. The live mouse that was a sidekick for the dastardly Count Fosco in Woman in White also periodically peed in the actor Michael Ball’s hand during their big number. Woman in White isn’t the only time a rodent figured in the action on Broadway. More recently, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time had its protagonist Christopher traveling around with his real live pet rat. Other small animals on Broadway have included the fish featured in 2022’s Birthday Candles. 

Past productions of Gypsy have sometimes featured a live lamb, figuring into the song “Little Lamb”, although often a puppet takes its place. 

In 2017, the live goats of the Once on This Island revival, named Sparky and Peapod, stole the hearts of theatergoers. They added to the French Antilles environment of the show and even made an appearance at the Tony Awards.  

While some might assume the first Broadway reality show was to cast the 2007 Grease revival (You’re The One That I Want!), Broadway has been pulling that kind of stunt for decades. In 1956, live pigs lined up down 44th Street alongside their owners for a chance to portray the beloved pig character Salomey in Li’l Abner—as local news stations covered the competition. 

And what about birds? The 2009 revival of After Miss Julie featured a live bird—although it was switched out for a fake bird during the course of the play so that no harm would come to the live animal during a certain scene. The 2018 Broadway premiere of The Ferryman had an onstage goose, played alternatingly by Peggy and Gertie, as well as a rabbit; the animals added to the atmosphere of the play set in an Irish farmhouse.

Starr, the horse from Whorehouse Goes Public, wasn’t the only animal that trainers and wranglers attempted to keep contained at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The current home of Death Becomes Her was also once home to a flock of doves in 1971 when the Israeli musical To Live Another Summer, to Pass Another Winter moved in. The show, which originated in Tel Aviv, released the doves into the auditorium each night.