So a couple of Saturdays ago, the director, Ian Robinson, held what was thought to have been a Hong Kong first: a dog audition at the Union Church in Kennedy Road.
He had already carried out a discreet filtering process among the various people who had volunteered their pets for possible stardom. Four dogs, trembling on the brink of fame, were called back. The trouble with some dogs, though, is that they just do not appreciate the limelight.
No sooner had one arrived at the Union Church than it bolted down Kennedy Road, dodging traffic, and pursued by Rupert McCowan, Annie producer, and Nicola Walker, the assistant producer.
As Walker is also playing the part of the dog-catcher, it was agreed this was an excellent example of Method acting. Meanwhile, Robinson, a sanguine lawyer who has directed five pantomimes for the Hong Kong Players and a couple of Gilbert & Sullivans for the Hong Kong Singers, proceeded with the business in hand.
Haggis the labrador was called to perform with Susan Telfer, who is playing Annie. No sooner had Haggis strolled across the stage than she rolled on to her back, waving her paws in the air, begging to be stroked. This was fine but more testing ability was required for the crucial scene in which a nasty New York cop demands proof that Sandy, a stray, is Annie's dog.
'Sandy! Here boy, here Sandy!' cried Susan to Haggis, who, not surprisingly, failed to take this as her cue and stood grinning at everyone, wagging her tail, before wandering off stage. Robinson said, gamely, 'Well, she's very docile.' Happy was next. Happy is a lithe mongrel and it was generally felt that she looked the part more than the well-nourished Haggis. She performed her audition with Annie's understudy, Brittyn Clennett, while Haggis had to be restrained from joining in. ('Star-struck', observed Robinson.) Happy was good but worryingly frisky, and there was some concern that she might bolt into the audience and never be heard of again.
A Boston terrier named Cyrus was then called. Cyrus could be seen bracing in the wings, quivering with stage fright. She slunk out with a demeanour which could only be described as hangdog, head down, ears back, looking startled and reluctant in equal measure. The scene in which Cyrus had to respond to the name Sandy was not a success.
'Next!' cried Rupert McCowan. 'Don't give up the day-job, kid,' said Robinson.
Finally, there was Sidney, an impressively jowly bulldog, who bounced across the stage, licked Susan, and with a great, heaving shake of its body, sent flakes of spittle flying across the stage. The young cast squealed in thrilled disgust. Once she had wiped her face, Susan put a leash on Sidney and was promptly dragged across the stage. Mr Robinson pronounced Sidney 'very biddable'.
After a little consultation between producer, assistant producer and director, it was agreed that Haggis - who is actually owned by Walker - would play the part of Sandy, and that Cyrus and Sidney would both play dogs impounded by the dog-catcher. The fact that Sidney is obviously a pedigree bulldog and not a Manhattan mutt was raised, but it was felt that for the 10-second appearance involved, it was worth the wobbly characterisation.
Since the audition, the three dogs have been assiduously rehearsing with the cast. 'They don't take directions very well,' sighed Robinson, earlier this week. 'Obviously there are great opportunities for disaster on the night, but the performers will just have to keep their wits about them.' What about, er, natural disasters? 'We'll have someone in the wings with a mop and a bucket, that's what you have to do traditionally.' Next week, an inspector from the Agriculture and Fisheries Department will assess the suitability of the Shouson Theatre for performing live animals. The men from the Ag and Fish have been deeply perplexed by these thespian proceedings.
'They were amazed by the application,' says McCowan. Back in July, he filled in a form under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Exhibition) Regulations Cap 139 in which he was obliged to give the Latin name (canis familiaris) of the species on display.
'They're very concerned about the safety of the audience.' Robinson is more concerned about the dogs' reaction to the theatre, to which they will not have access until two days before the first performance. 'The lights, the stage, the audience . . . that's a difficult thing to replicate. But I'm sure Haggis will be happy in the Green Room, soaking up the atmosphere, enjoying the company of all those theatrical people.' Annie, Arts Centre Shouson Theatre, November 18 to 22, tickets $190, tel: 2734 9009
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