BWW Reviews: ArtsWest's DOGFIGHT Manages Some Touching Moments

One of the most exciting and promising new musicals to come out of New York in the last few years for me has to be "Dogfight". This adaptation of the little known film from up and coming composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and writer Peter Duchan showed off that musical theater still has quite a vibrant heartbeat. So when I heard that ArtsWest was mounting this recent Lucille Lortel Award winner I was quite excited. And while there are a few muddled choices in the current production, the show elicits tons of heart and some truly touching moments especially from Seattle newbie Devon Busswood, but we'll get to more on her in a minute.

Based on the 1991 film with River Phoenix and Lili Taylor (really a lovely film) we meet up with Eddie Birdlace (Kody Bringman), a young Marine on his way back from Vietnam and going to San Francisco where he and his buddies spent their last night before shipping out. Flashback to that final night and Birdlace, and his fellow Marines Bernstein and Boland (Trent Moury and Ben Wynant) or "the three Bees" as they gear up for their final wild night which includes a little wager called a dogfight where each of them has to bring the ugliest girl they can find to a party with the worst of them winning the pot. Eddie stumbles into a diner and finds the shy and plain waitress Rose (Devon Busswood) whom he feels is a sure fire winner. But as the evening wears on he realizes there's more to Rose than what he sees and begins to regret his participation in the dogfight.

It's a lovely if not slightly overdone plot device but the original managed some wonderful performances from (then) young Hollywood. But what excited me most about the musical retelling of this was not the revisit to this beautiful story but the work of Pasek and Paul who proved that there are still musical theater composers who know how to write with heart and grace and still move the story along. The music of the piece completely fits in the era and brings with it such an interesting and engaging new musical theater voice and makes me so excited for more from them.

The production here manages to retain that heart and pacing as instilled by director Mathew Wright. There were a few staging moments where I wondered why I was looking at a wall of backs (especially in the build up to a potential rape scene) but overall Wright brings out the sweetness of the story and some gorgeous performances from the cast. And I must mention some stellar choreography from Trina Mills that really amped up the energy of the piece and started off the show with a bang.

The sublime ensemble manages to kick off each moment with such fluidity and style which is not easy in that small space. Bringman shows off his vocal chops as the confused Birdlace and brings a ton of heart to the role but could have used a few more levels to break up the emotional arc. Janet McWilliams turns in a stunning and tragically beautiful performance as Marcy, one of the "dogs" who knows exactly why she's there. But it's Busswood who walks off with the show with her rich and vibrant portrayal of Rose. Her voice is so delightful and clear and her emotional journey is completely apparent throughout making her a joy to watch. And her Act One closer of "Pretty Funny" is a complete heart breaker.

So with some minor qualms aside, the production manages to retain its heart and turn in some beautiful performances. Plus you get to see this new and under recognized bit of fabulous which is why, with my three letter rating system, I give "Dogfight" a YAY. So find your own date, "dog" or not, and take in this quite non-doggish piece.

"Dogfight" performs at ArtsWest through November 22nd. For tickets or information contact the ArtsWest box office at 206-938-0339 or visit them online at www.artswest.org.

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