The show opens at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Following performances are at 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, all in the Studio Theatre of the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center.
“Dogfight,” a musical based on Nancy Savoca’s 1991 film “Dogfight,” premiered onstage in 2012. It follows Vietnam veteran Birdlace in 1967 as he recalls the night that he spent with Rose four years ago.
Birdlace and his fellow Marines, Bernstein and Boland, comprise the Three Bees. As they struggle with the fact that they are shipping out of the United States the next day to see real action, they participate in a dogfight to relax and have fun.
“‘Dogfight’ is exceptionally interesting because it presents something that’s really beautiful and something that’s really ugly at the same time,” said Kate-Lyn Edwards, an IU senior and the director of the musical.
The rules of a dogfight are as follows: each Marine puts around $50 in the pot, and the soldier who brings the ugliest girl wins.
Birdlace meets Rose, an aspiring guitarist who works for her mother as a waitress in a cafe. He invites her to be his date, and she is excited to go to her first party as she does not know the true nature of the event.
Her naivete leads Birdlace to rethink his decision to subject her to the embarrassment of the dogfight, and when she finds out the purpose of the party, she storms out.
“Our soldiers who are so lovable do all of these really terrible things, as far as ostracizing women,” Edwards said. “There’s a lot of commentary on body image and acceptance.”
As Eddie realizes what he has done to Rose he goes back to find her, and their relationship blossoms. Meanwhile, his fellow Marines are hitting the town with a show of bravado and believe this is the way that heroes act. They expect to be welcomed home with open arms, complete with a ticker tape parade, but that turns out to be quite far from the truth.
“Veterans were not celebrated, and it should be looked at as a historical piece,” said IU student Mary Beth Black, who plays Marcy. “I think it’s really beautiful in that way. The marines think they will go off and when they come back, they will have money and pride and fame, and they just don’t. It says a lot about American culture and the way that we treat the people who step up.”
