Speckled with comedy, love, and tragedy, Dogfight takes its audience on a heartbreaking and powerful journey that changes even the strongest soldiers.
The Department of Theatre opened the spring season with Dogfight, a romantic and witty musical adaptation of the 1991 movie with River Phoenix and Lili Taylor. Winner of the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical in 2013, Dogfight is directed and choreographed by Denny Berry. The play is set on November 21, 1963. On the eve of their deployment to a growing conflict in Southeast Asia, three young Marines set out for one final boys’ night of debauchery and partying. But when Corporal Eddie Birdlace (Jesse Klick) meets Rose (Liz Terry), an awkward waitress he volunteers to win a brutal bet with his fellow recruits.
“Dogfight is the story of the timeless tragedy of the effects of war on youth. Beyond that, it’s also the story of how one young woman’s sense of self awakens the power of compassion in a young man,” says Berry. The production stars undergraduate theatre students including Javier Flores as “Bernstein”, Sky Kawai as “Boland,” Mikki Reeve as “Marcy”; and Actor Training Program Professor Sarah Shippobotham as “Mama.” The production incorporates a vividly large and dynamic set designed by instructor Thomas George with a live band conducted by instructor Alex Marshall.
The production runs September 16-25 in Babcock Theatre, 330 S. 1500 E.
There will be a post-performance discussion with the cast and creative team on February 10, and a panel discussion with U of U faculty members on February 17.
Dogfight reviews: Utah Theatre Bloggers, Broadway World