BoHo Theatre delivers sensitive, well-cast 'Dogfight'
If you are a fan of Chicago-area theater who doesn't yet know the names of singer/actors Emily Goldberg and Garrett Lutz, you should. And if their candid performances in BoHo Theatre's handsomely sung, well-acted Chicago premiere of "Dogfight" are any indication, it won't be long before you will.
Goldberg, of Oak Park, and Lutz, an Aurora native and graduate of North Central College in Naperville, star in this poignant chamber musical adapted for the stage by composer/lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and book writer Peter Duchan from the 1991 Warner Bros. film starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor.
A combination coming-of-age tale and an old-fashioned romance, "Dogfight" unfolds in San Francisco in November of 1963, on the night before three best pals and fellow Marines - cocksure Eddie Birdlace (Lutz), nerdy Bernstein (Nick Graffagna) and bullying Boland (Matt Frye) - leave for Vietnam.
They spend their last few hours stateside participating in a "dogfight," a cruel kind of party where the Marines compete for a pot of money that goes to the man who brings the ugliest date.
Enter Rose. Played by Goldberg, a disarmingly genuine actor and a lovely singer with a bell-like voice, Rose is a shy, socially awkward but politically conscious young woman with boundless compassion and little confidence. An aspiring songwriter who dreams of enlisting in the Peace Corps, she waits tables at her mother's diner. That's where she meets Lutz's Eddie, who can charm the birds out of the trees.
"Come to a Party," Eddie pleads in a whimsically seductive number. He wins over Rose, who accepts his invitation and imagines an evening "Nothing Short of Wonderful," one of several numbers showcasing the guileless Goldberg.
Initially unaware of the party's purpose, she discovers the truth courtesy of Marcy (the terrific Mary Kate Young in a sassy, savage performance), a street-smart prostitute whom Boland hired (against the rules) as his "date." She schools Rose in the ways of the world in the ferocious duet "It's a Dog Fight" that finds the women circling, and challenging each other's world view.
Humiliated, Rose leaves. Motivated by his increasing affection and perhaps his conscience, Eddie follows her home. By way of apology, he invites her on a proper date that includes dinner at a fancy restaurant and a stroll through the city. Their growing feelings are reflected in the charming "First Date/Last Night," one of the highlights of this sophisticated score, which features a restlessness that suggests the emotional state of young people embarking on life-changing experiences.
Case in point: the sense of urgency underscoring "Some Kinda Time," a swaggering celebration of carousing sung by music director Ellen K. Morris' first-rate male chorus.
Although the musical is primarily a love story, there's no ignoring the political undertones. Eddie - who he is initially and who he becomes - is really a metaphor for the United States during the early 1960s: arrogant, confidant, careless, yet capable of great compassion, contrition and change.
Lutz is a good actor who conveys easy charm as well as emotional ambivalence, and he and Goldberg share a real chemistry.
Wisely cast, Boho's fluid, energetic production is directed with clarity and compassion by artistic director and Marriott Theatre artistic associate Peter Marston Sullivan. The action unfolds on Patrick Ham's set evoking the Golden Gate Bridge against images of iconic San Francisco locales as well as harrowing war footage from projection designer Tony Churchill.
Their work, along with that of choreographer Stephen Schellhardt, is perfectly scaled to this intimate and affecting tale of a young man transformed by war and kindness into someone better than he was.
“Dogfight”
★ ★ ★ ½
Location: BoHo Theatre at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, (773) 975-8150 or
Showtimes: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 18
Running time: About two hours, with intermission
Tickets: $27-$30
Parking: Metered street parking
Rating: For teens and older, contains sexual situations, adult language