Leapin' Lizards!

Annie charms Bass Concert Hall with an adorable cast and memorable music

Annie plays Bass Concert Hall, April 21-26.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Annie, the classic story of a fiery redheaded orphan on a quest to find her parents, will have everyone singing, "The sun will come out tomorrow," with eight shows at Bass Concert Hall, April 21-26.

The Broadway favorite is a well-known tale, but what you may not know is the story behind Sandy, Annie's adorable dog. In my four years writing entertainment stories for CultureMap, I’ve never received an actor bio for a dog, until now. As they say, there are no small parts, only small actors. In this case, the latter is true!

Sunny, a 4-year-old terrier mix rescued from Houston, and Macy, who spent time in a prison dog training program, play the part of Sandy in the national tour of Annie. Most of the pups that have played the part of Sandy over the years (including the dog featured in the latest big screen Annie remake), learned their tricks from famous animal trainer William (Bill) Berloni.

An aspiring actor at the time, Berloni agreed to find and train a dog to play Sandy in the original 1976 stage production of Annie. Through persistence, patience and old-fashioned trial and error, he developed his own humane training techniques. His original Sandy spent seven years on Broadway.

Nearly 40 years later, he’s a recognized expert in dog behavior (whose work has been seen in theater, television and films) and a committed animal rescue advocate. All of the animals he’s recruited to play the part of Sandy in Annie over the years, including the original dog, were rescued. When the canines retire from acting, Berloni gives them a home on his large, Connecticut farm.

With cute dogs and cute kids, is it any wonder that Annie still has mass appeal nearly 40 years after its stage debut? It’s a rags-to-riches story set to a memorable soundtrack of catchy songs that will have you believing in fairytales.

---

Fall in love with the famous redhead and her precious pup at Bass Concert Hall, April 21-26. Tickets start at $30. Sorry, no dogs allowed!

unspecified

New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

museums galleries history texas