‘Dogfight’ brings troops’ experience to Modern stage

In times of war, there can’t be glory without grit. And though the former may be easier to digest, the latter is impossible to ignore.

The Modern Theater Coeur d’Alene tackles the emotional toll war takes with its production of “Dogfight,” a musical that follows a group of Marines as they prepare to ship out to Vietnam.

Behind this production, based on the 2012 off-Broadway musical, which itself is based on the 1991 film, is Abbey Crawford, resident director at the Modern Coeur d’Alene. Crawford said a show like “Dogfight” is right up her alley.

“I have an affinity with shows that are based around war vets,” she said. “I’ve been working with veterans of wars since I was 17, and I have quite a love for the shows, because I want people to understand that it’s not always glory stories that these men and women deal with.”

In the musical, best friends Eddie Birdlace (Brendan Brady), Boland (Robby French) and Bernstein (Joshua Lee Fox) participate in a dogfight – a game that rewards the man who brings the ugliest girl to a party – as a final hurrah before Vietnam.

After setting off to look for dates, Eddie meets the shy Rose Penny (Shelby Horton). After a bit of flirting, he invites Rose to the party. Unaware of Eddie’s true intentions, she happily accepts.

While on the way to the party, Eddie learns more about Rose, who dreams of becoming a folk musician and sees herself as a pacifist, and he begins to question his participation in the dogfight. But Rose, taking his resistance to mean he’s embarrassed to be seen with her, insists they go to the party.

Only after the dogfight is judged does Rose, with help from Boland’s date, Marcy (Alyssa Day), find out why she was invited. A rightfully upset Rose confronts Eddie before returning home.

Eddie, realizing the error of his ways, sets off to fix things with Rose and learns about empathy and love in the process.

Crawford acknowledges the cruelty of dogfights but said the purpose of the game went beyond finding the most unattractive date.

“These men would do this so they could separate themselves from their feelings, lose their sympathy because of what they were going into,” she said.

To help the young cast (the performers’ ages range from 17 to early 30s) better understand life during the Vietnam War, Crawford taught them about what troops experienced both during and after the war, including the poor reception many received after returning home.

She also had the cast talk to Vietnam veterans and listen to musicians like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, voices of peace during the war.

“There was huge factions on both sides, so I’ve taken (the cast) through the history so they understand what they’re actually performing.”

And while “Dogfight” is just that, a performance, Crawford wants audiences to realize that the experiences of Vietnam veterans acted out on stage mirror the experiences of men and women fighting now.

“I want them to walk away knowing how relevant it still is,” she said. “It’s timeless. The stuff that’s in front of us right now is just as scary as it was then.”