Westminster Dog Show champion Banana Joe takes Broadway

Banana Joe, the lovable affenpinscher who won best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York on Tuesday, has chosen Broadway for a victory lap.

The pooch was scheduled to make a cameo appearance Wednesday evening in the Broadway revival of the musical “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” at Studio 54. He was to fill in the role normally played by Macaco, the dog held by actress Stephanie J. Block in the show.

Banana Joe’s theater career was scheduled to last for only one performance. “Drood,” which is very loosely based on the unfinished novel by Charles Dickens, is produced by the Roundabout Theatre Co. The ending is determined by an audience vote as to who is guilty.

The Westminster competition was held at Madison Square Garden. Banana Joe beat out 2,700 other canines for the top prize. The runner-up prize went to went to Swagger, an Old English sheepdog.

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