By the WestView News Staff
She’s appeared in the Broadway show It’s Only A Play with Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullally, and Nathan Lane. She’s been photographed twice by the ever-popular The Dogist Instagram account. She’s been photographed and included in a book called Dancers and Dogs where she appeared with ABT dancer Rachel Richardson. And she appeared in a photo shoot for the celebrated interior designer Sheila Bridges.
Her name is Grace and she’s a Jack Russell Terrier who is turning 11 years old later this month. Her trainer (and co-parent) Lydia DesRoche got and prepared Grace for all her jobs.
Grace got the role in It’s Only A Play because Ms. DesRoche used to take her to the theatre when she was training dogs for Of Mice and of Men and everyone in the crew got to know her while she had run of the theatre when Ms. DesRoche was working with the other animals; and after that show ended, one of the stage managers called after they’d signed on to work on It’s Only A Play and said, “There’s a role for a cute dog in this play and we’d love to use Grace.” Needless to say, the decision was easy and she was cast.
Ms. DesRoche trained Grace for two weeks and then through rehearsals. Once the show started, she was at the theatre for eight shows a week like everyone else in the cast—and she even had her own dressing room though she preferred hanging out in the green room where the hair, make-up, and costumers were, and where she had a basketball hoop set-up to play with while she waited for her cue.
Grace with ABT dancer Rachel Richardson. Photo credit: “Dancers and Dogs” by Kelly Pratt and Ian Kreidich.
In the play her name is Torch, and we only hear stories of how she is terrorizing guests at a party we don’t see—so much so, that ambulances are sent to treat guests for wounds she has inflicted. At the very end of the play, just after the actors are in place for the curtain call, Megan Mullally is sitting on a chaise and places a crystal bowl of chicken on the seat, prompting Torch, donning a diamond studded collar, to bolt onto the stage, leap onto the chaise, and devour
Megan’s dinner in seconds. Needless to say, the site of this little terror-reigning
baby-faced pup making an appearance drew even more laughter and applause for what was already a magnificent show.
More recently, Ms. DesRoche got a call from a stylist who had seen Grace and asked to use her in a fashion campaign for Le Vian Jewelry.
Today, Grace enjoys weekday mornings in Central Park where she to acts as a mentor and role model for Ms. DesRoche’s clients’ dogs (collectively known as the “Fluffy Mafia”); and she loves drawing attention from passers-by on her stoop in the West Village, with an occasional gelato from Sant Ambroeus. When asked if Grace will do another show or photoshoot, Ms. DesRoche says, “She always gets to decide.”
