Surprise, I’m back! Yes, I realize it’s been over a month since my last blog entry - June 1st to be exact. And since then I’ve seen four Broadway shows (and one Off-Broadway show) and help put up four full productions at our family’s theatre camp. So I’ve been just a teensy bit busy.
But don’t fret, my dear Pineda-starved blogytes, for the next week or two I’ll be consumed with writing and updating. Last week was my first full week back to NYC following another stress-filled, but far less sweaty, Pineda Summer Conservatory season thanks to our new air conditioning (yeah!).
The first Monday back at my desk job was hellacious - over 1200 unread emails and I was working on five hours of sleep - damn those Sunday night shows and their accompanying late night cast party. So it’s taken me pretty much the entire week to finally get my shit together.
For my first free summer weekend since Pineda Camp hell, Trish and I decided to check out Dogfight at Second Stage. The new off-Broadway musical is based on the indie
film from the early 90s.
I’ll be honest, this show caught me by surprise. I went in with no expectations and found
myself an emotional wreck and nearly in tears by intermission (Trish too). Central to my enjoyment was Lindsey Mendez’s remarkably honest and moving performance as Rose, the “homely” unknowing participant in the dogfight alluded to in the show’s title. Amazing, since I found her character in the recent Godspell revival a tad cloying and vocally a bit gimmicky. Here she’s perfect and gets to show of her clean soprano and easy belt. Oh well, I guess I can chalk Godspell up to bad direction.
The score is folksy-pop a la Jason Robert Brown. There are definitely some great pull-out audition songs that I’m sure we’ll all be tired of hearing by this time next year. But it's a relief to finally hear a score that’s musically interesting as well as lyrically specific - a nice change from the bombastic self-importance of some recent new scores (I’m talking to you, Frank Wildhorn). One “This is the Moment” is quite enough, thank you very much.
The physical production is simple, but appropriate with a sometimes stunning
lighting design.
Chris Gattellis’ choreography/musical staging is spot on. It’s odd, because I definitely have a love-hate opinion on most of his work. Sometimes I find it repetitive and gimmicky (Newsies) and sometimes it’s so perfect and character-driven that I can’t imagine a production without it (Altar Boyz). Here, the latter applies, particularly in the group soldier scenes and the battle scenes in the second act.
And for a musical about horny, young soldiers, there’s only one semi-gratuitous shirtless scene. Good for you, Joe Mantello.
Dogfight
Second Stage Theatre
Saturday, August 11, 2pm performance
How do you follow-up a surprisingly satisfying afternoon at the theatre? With a double-header at the movies, of course.
Not wanting to head back to our tiny Queens apartment just yet, Trish and decided to catch The Dark Knight at the Times Square AMC, but not before stopping at Auntie Anne's to fill Trish's over-sized bag with illicit pretzel dogs and cinnamon sticks. When a popcorn and soda are $20, sometimes you have to resort to smuggling the occasional wiener.
And when the hell did movie prices jump to fourteen bucks!? And that's without 3D or IMAX - just the plain old, regular boring 2D. Trish and I decided to stick it to the man by sneaking into a second movie, Total Recall. I'm a fan of the original and Colin Farrell is super hot, so even with lukewarm reviews, we decided we'd at least get to stare at his pouty face and maybe get some harmless shirt-free ogling time.
Well, it didn't suck AND we got to see a shirtless Colin Farrell, so I'd say it was a win-win all around.
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