A corgi thespian performing in the West End play The Audience has been fired and replaced with a younger, more pliant corgi after refusing to obey the command of co-star Helen Mirren.
Corgis, a notoriously truculent and aristocratic breed, are the famed companions of Queen Elizabeth II, an enchantress who is rumored to transpose her soul into each of her many corgis, thus ensuring that she outlives the inevitable decay of her human form. It’s no surprise, then, that even ill-bred actor corgis take a little extra pride in their pedigree since they’re related to the Queen’s sacred spiritual vessels. Perhaps this is where the problems started for Lizzy, a seven-year-old corgi tasked with playing pet to Helen Mirren’s Queen Elizabeth. Lizzy simply refused to play second-fiddle to Mirren, and when the script called for Lizzy to run across the stage at Mirren’s summoning, she refused.
The Audience, which is about the Queen’s relationship with her various prime ministers, has been a big hit on the West End because people love dogs. They love dogs even when dogs are misbehaving and openly feuding with their human co-stars because awww, how cute! Look how recalcitrant and huffy! After failing to obey Mirren’s command in 16 consecutive preview performances, Lizzy was unceremoniously replaced with a younger corgi.
Rumor has it that Lizzy’s age actually played a significant role in her firing: she was not as fast as co-star Rocky (a five-year-old), and so was never first to receive a treat from the trainer. God only knows what will happen to Lizzy now that she’s been let go. She’ll probably have to do a community theater production of Cats, just to keep herself sharp.
Acting Dog Gets Canned for Disobedience [Business Insider]