Show: Dogfight
Music and Lyrics: Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
Book: Peter Duchan
Director: Kat Ross Kline
Music Direction: Peter deMets
Where: Kelsey Theatre at Mercer County Community College
Remaining Performances: November 5 at 2 pm, November 10 and 11 at 8 pm and November 12 at 2 pm
Company: Pierrot Productions
Rights Holder: Music Theater International
Note: Due to some people reaching out to me, I’ve made corrections to this article since it was originally presented here.
The Show
This past weekend I took in the opening performance of Dogfight, a musical with the songwriting team of Pasek & Paul. If they sound familiar to you, it’s because in the last year they have won an Oscar for La La Land and a Tony for Dear Evan Hansen. La La Land in particular has become somewhat controversial in the theater community as a musical, but if you happen to be among those that have lost your taste for it, know that Dogfight is another beast entirely. There are four shows left, so if you can get out to the Kelsey then you should buy your tickets now.
Dogfight starts as the story of Eddie Birdlace (a newly minted marine played by Andy Boettcher) on his last night prior to being shipped out to Vietnam. While the exact timing is never established, it is clear through the text that this all takes place before anyone knows that Vietnam is going to be as bad as we know that it will be. He begins the story with his fellow marines, among them his two best friends Boland and Bernstein (played confidently by Kyrus Keenan Westscott and Matthew Staley, respectively), who are out to win some money and ensure that Bernstein loses his virginity, perhaps both at the same time. The titular dogfight is a contest (which as far as I can tell has factual roots), in which Birdlace’s group compete amongst themselves to find the ugliest girl and bring her to a party. They’ve all put their money into a pot, and whoever’s girl is deemed ugliest by their selected judge wins the big prize.
In his pursuit of victory, Birdlace meets and invites Rose (expertly played by Alexandra Rush), bringing her to the competition in the guise of a date. Boland, meanwhile, enlists a local prostitute, Marcy (gamely played by Kim Cupo). Beyond this point the plot becomes deeply involved in spoiler territory, but I can say that book writer Peter Duchan outdoes himself by constantly setting up and then satisfyingly subverting the audience’s expectations.
If most of this sounds like a set up to a show better titled Toxic Masculinity: The Musical, that’s because it basically is. Thankfully, while the premise is a bit hard to swallow, it’s designed to be that way without ever endorsing the behavior displayed by the male leads. The authors are very aware of what they are doing. Instead, the script uses those moments of cruelty to highlight the ways in which being vulnerable can enrich a person’s life. That doesn’t mean that the show treats its own leads as callously as might be deserved; Bernstein and Boland both take part in uncomfortably problematic moments of misogyny and sexual violence (in addition to the dogfight itself), but these scenes do serve to put the audience back on its heels. The story never lets us get too comfortable with the laughter these characters are able to elicit or our scorn for the awful things they are doing before we are confronted with a new scene with new conflicts.
The Great Stuff!
There’s a lot to say here. First and foremost, I was pleasantly surprised at how good the script to this show is. You probably divined my general opinion from my synopsis above, but the pacing of this story is extremely well executed. There is something to be said for writing that surprises you (which this show does on a few occasions), but this script often has the story go exactly where you expect only to be forced into an unexpected emotional direction. It’s a great feeling to have as a member of the audience and got me extremely invested in the lives of these characters. As an example, there is a moment at the end where Boland and Birdlace have a confrontation that gave me serious dread for what might happen in a completely nonviolent scene. Maybe you know this and maybe you don’t, but try to think back on a time where a story made you fear for someone without actually threatening that character’s physical wellbeing. All I can tell you is that I’ve seen a lot of stories play out on stage and that level of emotional investment is rare.
The excellent script notwithstanding, I love a production that utilizes actors effectively. I can personally be extremely picky when it comes to acting and vocals (I’m going to be a huge nitpicker further down this review), but you don’t have to be the best singer in the world to get my attention. Just know what things you’re good at and hit those things hard. In that regard, Pierrot Productions delivered as well as any I’ve seen this past year (not just the handful of shows that I’ve reviewed). Not all of the four leads were equally arresting throughout the show, but when they got the chance to do what they excel at it was exciting to watch. As one half of the emotional heart of the show, Boettcher had moments where I could see through the actor’s facade, but when he had to evince fear, pain, vulnerability or masculine bravado he was more than capable of driving his own story toward a satisfying conclusion. Westscott and Staley, meanwhile, were able to inhabit their characters, providing several moments of what seemed like real life improvisation even if they had been rehearsed a hundred times.
If you noticed that I left Rush’s performance out of the last paragraph (presumably you’re reading this because you don’t know the show, so I don’t know why you would…) then you should know there is a reason. As I said above, it’s important that a performer hit their emotional beats when they get them even if they aren’t always exactly on point. The fact is, there was never a moment of this production where Rush was both delivering a line and not the most interesting character onstage. When she was onstage and not delivering a line, she was still often the person most worth watching, because her focus never wavered from the character. Her performance was so sincere and charismatic that I was constantly watching her to see where she would take Rose (and by extension, Birdlace) next and I don’t remember a moment where her delivery disappointed. If I ever get the chance to see another performance of Dogfight (and let’s face it, Pasek & Paul just won half of an EGOT and this is their biggest show with rights available, so I will), I cannot imagine comparing the next performance of Rose favorably to Rush’s.
From the technical side, the set is simple but effective, making use of a minimal design that probably saved some money but still gets the point across. The Golden Gate Bridge is heavily featured with some intelligently placed lights, with the orange-red color being supplied by some intelligently placed lights on what I think was really a black set piece. This actually made the bridge look significantly more realistic than it would have if just painted to look like the Golden Gate Bridge, showing the experience and artistic eye of the lighting designer (the Kelsey’s own Artistic Director, M. Kitty Getlik). Correction: It has been pointed out to me by members of the production that the master carpenter (Jim Petro) for Dogfight really did choose a paint color very close to the Golden Gate Bridge (International Orange, for those wondering). It turns out that what I thought was a trick of the eye actually was a completely different trick of the eye. Much credit is deserved for both the lighting and scenic designs for their
The Not Great Stuff…
The one piece of the puzzle that is Dogfight’s script that I keep having trouble with is the character of Marcy. She’s equal parts roadblock, foil to Rose and comic relief throughout Act I, with her big moment coming in the song “It’s a Dogfight.” My problem definitely isn’t Cupo’s performance, she brings the necessary humor and worldliness to Marcy as demanded by the script. What I keep trying, and failing, to unpack is what the story has to say about her. She is painted as wily and in control, the prostitute without a heart, let alone a golden one, taking some time to teach Rose something about the world. But ultimately she is a prostitute; I may be being unfair, but frankly she isn’t in as good a place as she says if she’s been placed (or placed herself) into the life of a sex worker. The prostitute with a heart of gold is a cliché that is a bit played out, so I’m not suggesting that Marcy be turned into one. However, I do think that the wise, all-knowing prostitute is an issue for basically the same reason that the aureus hearted one is. So what is the play trying to say with her? Are we meant to take her advice at face value because she is capable of recognizing the cruelty of these men, or should her confidence be treated questionably because of where it apparently leads her? As a member of the audience it isn’t really important that I know the answer to these questions, nor is it even important for the authors to know, but I do think it’s important that the authors ask those questions and I’m not sure that they did.
Intent is a funny thing, because on the one hand it really doesn’t matter as long as the show works. What the author, or even the actor, wanted you to think and feel doesn’t matter compared to what you actually thought and actually felt. If the author wants you to laugh and you instead cry because of how moved you are, is that theatrical moment any less moving? Art is the communication of emotions across time, and it seems to me that an effective piece of art is effective based on the audience’s reaction rather than the desires of the author.
On the other hand, lack of intention can lead to cracks in an actor’s armor. There were times when Boettcher (who admittedly is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here, so I hope this doesn’t come off as too disparaging of an otherwise good performance), would perform an action or move to a place on stage or perform an action where I got no conception of why Birdlace was doing that thing or making that move. He might choose to let Rose go and walk across the stage at a time when that didn’t seem to be at all motivated by anything other than a directorial attempt at a pretty stage picture. Or he might perform a specific bit of stage direction (the moment I’m thinking of is near the end of the show) that still had obvious emotional impact, but didn’t present the internal conflict that such an emotional punch seems like it was meant to. Now, the latter example could be explained away by the very toxic masculinity that is pervasive to the male characters in this show, and pretty stage pictures are important, but without indication of intention these moments can almost become pantomime. These moments by no means ruined any performances, but it can be occasionally distracting.
Finally, I do have a note about vocals, even if it is a huge nitpick because all three of the male leads had voices that fit their characters well. While that never faltered, there were moments that Boettcher, Staley, and Westscott really got to show off what their voices are capable of. I know that that’s actually a compliment, but it made me wish that the music had forced that kind of vocal polish from them throughout the show.
The Shining Stars
The other female contestants brought to the dogfight by the rest of the marines don’t get much time to portray their particular characters, but I could tell that all of those actresses spent time thinking about what made their character different and how to bring out their characters’ idiosyncrasies. They didn’t get a lot of stage time, but it was fun while they did. Special shout out to Alexandra Haas for her funny, though small, portrayal of Ruth Two Bears. She was able to do a lot with a little which, as I noted above, I really enjoy as an audience member.
The Venue
Update: Based on a comment to this post I’m making a correction to my description of the Kelsey Theatre’s technical specifications.
The Kelsey Theatre is one of the most productive theaters in central NJ; their 2017-2018 season boasts 18 full length plays and musicals as well as 7 productions for kids. It is part of the Mercer County Community College campus, and as such the building itself is a little dated. The lobby somewhat resembles what you might see outside a high school auditorium. That said, the stadium-style audience seats 383 and doesn’t have a bad seat that I’m aware of. The lower section of the audience seats about 80 and is wheelchair accessible.
The stage itself is in proscenium without much room to customize that configuration, but it really doesn’t need it. There is a cyclorama along the back wall for projections and lighting effects, a semi-permanent platform on stage right that can be used for the orchestra or extra performance space, and a catwalk above the stage that goes (unseen) all the way to behind the audience. This is all accessible from backstage via a large spiral staircase. Several dozen lights and electrics are above the stage and over the audience that can be utilized by ambitious lighting designers. This does come with the risk of overly complicated light plots (which aren’t unheard of in the space).
Additionally, there is a full scene shop and storage space behind the stage and beyond stage left. For those companies with the resources and talent (of which there are many resident at the Kelsey), this means that lavish, complicated and interesting sets are the norm for the companies that put on larger plays and musicals. This is something which frankly does put the Kelsey apart from most theatrical spaces in the area.
I can’t tell you much about Pierrot productions. They’ve been resident at the Kelsey for many years, but I’ve only seen one of their other shows. I’ve checked their back catalog and they have done a lot of musicals recently, but I’ve been told that isn’t a limitation of their mission as a company. The program to Dogfight did make it clear that they have production staff members in common with the board of Rooftop Theatre Collaborative, who recently produced tick, tick…BOOM! at Open Arts PAC.
One final note about the Kelsey: Because of the altitude and placement of the catwalk, the spotlights are on a very steep angle. As a result, they can’t reach all the way to the back of the stage and their range drops precipitously if the actors are above ground level. Moreover, when actors are far downstage the spotlights cast shadows all over the actor’s faces. I implore next season’s lighting and scenic designers to get together for a meeting to discuss how to best handle the use of spotlighting for platforms, do a 3 dimensional map of the spotlights’ capabilities if you have to. I’ve seen shows with good lighting at the Kelsey and shows with bad lighting, but even those with great lighting (like Dogfight) end up having their actors in the dark at some point because the spotlight can’t reach them.
Who do I think I am? 