Broadway: It's A Jungle Out There

Animal Actors Share Center Stage In Big-Time Broadway Productions

(CBS)  In the rough and tumble dog-eat-dog-world of Broadway, there is an agent/manager/personal trainer with more clients seen by more people than any one man.

"All the clients I work with take direction well and don't argue," says Bill Berloni, who adds that in his management stable, there are "No divas."

Berloni represents about 700 animals, 30 of whom live with him. Each a star and each with a rags-to-riches story worthy of Broadway, reports CBS News correspondent Richard Schlesinger.

"Anybody could have walked into the shelter they were in and adopted them, but nobody chose to," Berloni says of his animal clients. "Many of them were going to be put to sleep."

Instead a pack of Berloni dogs were put to work in Broadway productions like "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

They had to hit their marks and make their entrances just like their two legged costars.

"The animals make less mistakes than the humans," Berloni says.

Among Berloni's housemates: Two Sandys from "Annie" and four Totos in total.

Berloni admits that the situation for him and the animals is a win-win situation. "I mean, each one of them coming into my life has brought me something, taught me something," Berloni says.

And they have made him quite comfortable as one of Broadway's go-to people for animals. Berloni trains and represents anything with fur or feathers or scales. A Berloni client does not have to be cute or cuddly.

For instance, Beatrice the rat is one of the stars in "Woman in White." Berloni trained her to run all over actor Michael Ball, who rehearses with her off-stage before donning his fat suit and makeup for their star turn on-stage.

"When I saw the affect that it had on the audience, I though I want a bit of that," Ball says. "I love the, you know, we all love the attention and she steals the show completely."

Managing stars is always difficult. Berloni has to keep the rat away from the cat and the cat away from the bird. They are all part of his stable of stars along with the horses and the llamas, who live happily, if not quietly, waiting for their next gig.