Puppy Mill Survivor Stars in Broadway’s Living on Love

When the curtain rises this April on the new Broadway production Living on Love, the audience will applaud both the comedic timing of the show’s human cast and the acting chops of a rescue dog who loves the life she’s living.

Trixie strikes a pose with co-star Jerry O’Connell during a press preview of Living on Love at the Empire Hotel in New York City:

Saved from a nightmarish existence as a breeding dog in a South Carolina puppy mill, Trixie embarked on the second act of her life thanks to the all-volunteer organization Pet Rescue NY. Seeing the perky 2 1/2-year-old Pomeranian’s star quality, Tony Award-winning animal trainer Bill Berloni adopted Trixie in August 2013.

Trixie and co-star Renee Fleming:

Known for giving shelter dogs a new lease on life in the theater as well as on the big and small screen, Berloni has recently helped rescue dogs gain fame in the Tony Award-winning homage to Billie Holiday, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill; The Audience, a Broadway play starring Dame Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II; and the 2014 silver screen adaptation of Annie.

The cast of Living on Love:

Currently rehearsing with her co-stars Jerry O’Connell, Emmy Award nominee Anna Chlumsky, Tony Award nominee Douglas Sills and four-time Grammy Award winner Renee Fleming, Trixie– who portrays a pup named Puccini in the screwball comedy– has become accustomed to sharing the stage with stars. In 2014 the tail-wagging thespian trod the boards with actors Vincent Pastore, Karen Ziemba and Zach Braff in the Broadway rendition of Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway.

Photo Credit: Living on Love; Walter McBride; Brad Barket/Getty Images