Review: Dogfight

Review: Dogfight | The Spark | Boulder, CO | Curtain Up | Gina Robertson

Okay, so this is not an upbeat story. Dogfight, based on the 1991 film starring River Phoenix and Lily Taylor, is, in fact, a brutal gut punch of a musical that tells the story of a girl named Rose, working in a 1963 San Francisco diner and playing folk music on her guitar, when a young Marine comes in and begins flirting with her. He invites her to a party, and Rose excitedly accepts her first date. The party, though, is a cruel game played by the Marine and his friends, a contest to see who can bring the ugliest girl.

L to R:Jazz Mueller, Justin Pappas, Kaeden Tilak; Photo Credit: Dillon Kenyon

From there, the biggest problem with the story is its predictability. Macho manipulation to get the girl with the heart of gold, but he falls in love for real, and will she accept him after the awful way he has treated her? Good grief, you know she will, and you already know he winds up going off to have his mind shattered by the war too, only to return to San Francisco looking for that sweet golden heart he left behind when he was unbroken and full of his own glory.

It is Rose, then, who is unexpected, a bit. Played by Grace Stephenson with an exuberant sense of relishing life’s first times, meeting new people and accepting the lessons that life gives her without losing her sense of joy and optimism. Jazz Mueller as Eddie does his best to portray genuine remorse for his treatment of Rose and a real attempt to make it up to her, but as written, his apology and his actions can be seen as further manipulation. He gets to spend the night with her, and he gets to go to Vietnam knowing she will write to him, and he can blow her off and focus on macho bonding with his buddies while they learn how to kill for their country.

This production feels surprisingly large for such a small space. The party and the battle scenes in particular are staged with lots of movement and precision. In the climactic few moments when the young Marines are in Vietnam facing the enemy, excellent sound and light design (Jesse Webb and Braden Ward), choreography (Sydney Suter), and directing bring the war to horrific reality, bringing about the central transition of Eddie Birdlace from a cocky, arrogant boy to a broken, terrified man.

Some of the musical numbers are beautifully done, especially carried by the voice of Stephenson as Rose. She embodies a sweet dignity and gentle sense of determination, making her easy to root for and easy to forgive when she predictably falls in love with her tormentor.

Many of the events and behaviors in this story are ugly to see, representing societal problems typical of the period but sadly relevant to the modern day as well. The program explains that exposing the raw elements of misogyny, racism, body shaming, sexual assault, and bullying “allows us to witness the humanity of the characters while also confronting the harmful beliefs, behaviors and systems that shaped their choices.” It mentions the social influences that brought about such ugly, cruel behavior and “we can examine the consequences of those influences.”

I’m not sure that I agree that there are any consequences represented in this story. Of the men, only Eddie appears to feel any remorse for his cruelty and he is immediately forgiven without consequence. The other men discard their dogfight victims and the victims of their sexual aggression without a thought and go off to war with nary a twinge of doubt about their own awesomeness. It could be said that war itself, a feature of patriarchy and masculine aggression eats them up ultimately, but that feels more like an intended outcome than a consequence. I don’t think any of the men would change their choices if they knew what would happen. They see themselves only in the role that society has put them in.

L to R:Grace Stephenson, Jazz Mueller, Kaeden Tilak, Avery Lichty; Photo Credit: Dillon Kenyon

It is Rose, then, who represents the consequences and the resistance to what Williams calls “the machine” that shapes them all. She stands tall and carries on, fulfilling her own dreams and following her own path despite being ultimately ghosted by Eddie after forgiving him and spending the night with him. She is stronger in the end, more sure of herself, and wiser, unbroken by the machine because she refuses to see herself in the role it tries to put her in.

Stand-out supporting performances by talented comedic actors go a long way to lighten the heaviness of the themes explored in this story. Avery Lichty is Marcy, the tough, cynical prostitute who could have been a cliché but is instead a memorable character with real personality and unfortunate teeth. Elliot Clough steals the scene in multiple roles, with charming comedic delivery and an unforgettable crooning as the lounge singer. Jeffrey Kaplan gets a big laugh as the praying drag queen and is just physically funny in every scene as the waiter and sergeant.

Dogfight evokes a couple of distinct time periods with a light touch and a few well-placed props and costumes. First is the America of 1963 that Eddie and the boys leave behind. Hair and costumes by Kelly Bidstrup establish this as Kennedy era America. Tidy, dignified, hopeful, and strong. Then Eddie returns to Haight-Ashbury era San Francisco where Vietnam veterans are spit upon and the streets are full of protest signs–a messier time, a less hopeful one and more chaotic.

Don’t come to see Dogfight expecting to come away feeling good about anything that happens on stage, but see the show expecting to be entertained and to leave with something to think about on the drive home.

Information and tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thespark/2355587

The Spark is a lesser known Boulder theater group, offering what they call a mentorship model theater community. Each show is made up of students and professionals, and students are paired up with experienced mentors whom they train, rehearse and perform with side by side. The venue is a large, artistic, warehouse-style space located off Pearl Street. They host creative, innovative events like the upcoming Dog Talent Show where your dog can fulfill its creative dreams and maybe audition to be Sandy in the Spark’s upcoming production of Annie. Get details here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thespark/2432590