Rufus Legally Blonde

Bulldog Rufus (Nellie) is more of a “visual gag,” Berloni says. “You look at them and they`re funny.” Nevertheless, Rufus is a stage thief in his spiked leather necklace. Job security “Dogs have a great retirement plan,” says Sullivan. All of Berloni`s dog artists lived with him on his 90-acre farm in Connecticut when their careers ended. They deserve it for all their commitment. “[Human] actors have personal problems, they get sick, they stay awake too late, like everyone else. Throughout the Broadway tour, the only one who did every performance was the bulldog Chloe,” Berloni explains. That was 596 performances in the original Broadway production. “They love their job,” Berloni says. “Why shouldn`t they show up to work every day?” Berloni is also an animal rights activist who trains with positive reinforcement, and only when it is clear that the animal appreciates it. “As soon as they don`t seem happy, we retire them,” he says.

Behind the scenes, Berloni has the help of coaches Kylen Kline, A.J. Sullivan and Patrick Peavy. They were hired as animal lovers, not trainers. Your job is to take care of the four dogs on days off and stay on tour with them in hotels. Interim trainer Bill Berloni is not a dog whisperer; His job is much more difficult. The trainer (whose animals have played for presidents, including Barack Obama) recruits all of his canine talent from animal shelters, meaning the animal must heal before basic commands can be taught. And live performances are another matter. “Dog whisperers can make an animal react, but in the theater, we are in the starting blocks. Animals need to focus on the actor they are supposed to belong to,” Berloni says. This means six to eight weeks of rehearsals to turn actors into trainers and build a relationship with their canine peers.

A little shy at first, Paulette quickly warms up with Elle and soon comes out of her shell and shows a funny and open-minded attitude. She has a dog named Rufus and treats him like family, much like Elle and Bruiser. Paulette tends to wear well-fitting and trendy clothes that are somewhat revealing. She also wears a lot of makeup. Like most of Elle`s friends, she is always ready to lend a hand. During Legally Blonde, she was very clumsy with her crush, a UPS employee named Kyle, who became awkward and searched around for words. She loves the Bend and Snap movement she taught him. Paulette is afraid of cheerleaders and says in the musical that cheerleaders scare her. She has a daughter named Elle.

This article was published more than 12 years ago. Some information may be out of date. Elle Woods (Becky Gulsvig) is a love-oriented character, and there`s more than one cute guy vying for her affection. Yet her lapdog is her husband – Bruiser is a family, and her stage chemistry is unprecedented. The couple has a real bond; Gulsvig wants to bring Frankie home after the show ends. The veteran coach admits his nerves are raw before the show. “It`s the same feeling I had when I got married. We got married outside. You can`t control nature. Dog handlers Kylen Kline and Patrick Peavy take care of the animals on days off and stay at the hotel during the tour. Legal Blonde The Musical will be presented at Toronto`s Princess of Wales Theatre until August 8.

Performance evaluation The opening night is unpredictable. Actors adapt to audience reactions and problems are resolved over time. But when Bruiser (Frankie) goes on stage, there is a collective “Aw” from the crowd and applauds every turn of the dog – show-off. The reason why dogs can only be seen in a few scenes becomes obvious. “They overshadow actors, it`s not fair,” Peavy says. Berloni says one of the hardest tricks he`s ever had to teach an animal in his 33 years of training is the one that opens Legally Blonde. Without revealing details: the actors are waiting for Bruiser`s signal; You can`t move on to the next scene if the dog doesn`t deliver, Berloni says. Not much is known about her life before the film, except that she had a longtime boyfriend named Dewey who threw her for another woman after 7 years. He kept his caravan and his “precious baby Rufus”, a dog.

During Legally Blonde, she finds the courage to take Rufus back from her ex Paulette Bonafonté (Paulette Parcelle in Legally Blonde 2), manicure and confidante of Elle. In the musical, Paulette is very obsessed with Ireland and it seems like a happy place she can imagine. She dreams of dancing there with “a red-haired sailor named Brendan.” When she meets Kyle B. O`Boyle, she immediately loves him. However, she can`t muster the courage to talk to him. This prompts Elle to teach him, the rest of the show, the band and Snap. Frankie is quiet and reserved – he doesn`t seem to have the chops of an actor, as he sits smugly, indifferent to the frenzy behind the scenes. His master, Kylen Kline, calls him “the pro”. When he plays Bruiser, Elle Woods` companion, Chihuahua, it is clear that he was destined for the stage. Frankie`s favorite pastime is sleeping on top of other dogs. Dramatis Personae Nellie is a kind of diva. She only acted for a short time, but getting a role in Legally Blonde the Musical clearly went to her head.

Backstage, less than an hour before the curtain of the opening night, she is noisy and demands the attention of caregivers who admit to having pampered her. Stubbornness is typical of their breed – Nellie is a three-year-old English bulldog. She was rescued by the Humane Society of New York in 2008 and now stars Rufus in the Canadian production of Legally Blonde. When she`s not on stage, Nellie likes to sit in chairs. Paulette uses it when she`s with Kyle, but as Kyle also bends down to drop the object, she breaks his nose. She then spends time with him in the hospital. Kyle is very grateful for that, and that`s where Kyle and Paulette`s connection begins. Paulette later discovers that Kyle`s middle name is Brendan, similar to her fantasy, which makes her very happy.