Skip to main content

Review: Dogfight - Spotlight Theatrical Company

Written by Jake Goodall

Get ready for a night of vocal excellence in Spotlight Theatrical Company's latest production of Dogfight! Located in the central Gold Coast, their latest production is sure to shock and delight all theatre lovers.

It's 1963, and a group of young marines have gathered in San Fransisco the night before they ship off to Vietnam. They decide to celebrate their last night of freedom with a cruel game they call a “dogfight” where every man sets out to find the ugliest girl he can and brings her to a party. Everyone puts in money, and the man with the ugliest date wins the pot. 

This harrowing and horrific story showcases the toxic masculinity of the US Marines in the 60s but also provides an insight into PTSD and the terrors of war. One uplifting event in this musical is that it isn't about women changing themselves for men, it is about the power of becoming confident in oneself and not bowing to a man's wishes just because he says so which is the troupe for many musicals set in this time piece.

Directed by Joshua McCann-Thomson, the production was in good hands. McCann-Thomson is an extremely talented director who assembled the best of the best for this show, allowing us to be drawn into the story easily. Musically Directed by the formidable Julie Whiting, they whipped the vocals into shape. The highlight of this production was the vocals, the score is an incredibly difficult sing especially for the male characters however it is clear Whiting worked hard with the performers to push the absolute best out of them. Choreography by Natalie Cassaniti was simple yet effective, Cassaniti created some beautiful pieces of choreography that helped to move the story along. 

Lighting Design by Jamie Watt was beautiful, Watt created some stunning lighting scenes to emulate the light and shade of the production. Audio Design by Marcus Du Toit was commendable, occasionally it was difficult to hear the actor's words as the balancing between the leads and the ensemble or the leads and the band were slightly off however this got better as the show went on throughout the night. Set Design by Josh McCann Thomson and Michael Sutton was simple and effective utilising a small raised platform across the entire stage with a revolve in the middle which was able to create some beautiful scenes. Additionally, there were six window-like pieces and two interior house pieces that helped to create time and setting. 

The three male leads of the production, Brody Seignior as Eddie Birdlace, Marcus Du Tout as Berstein, and Jordan Lee as Boland were all outstanding in their roles. Vocally each one was faultless, providing an impressive vocal selection throughout the evening. Laila Chequer De Souza as Rose Fenny was stunning, She perfectly encapsulated the giddiness of a first date and gave us a layered character throughout the entire production. Angelique Giuffre as Marcy was hard-hitting and gritty, exactly what you need from a Marcy. Giuffre's rendition of the titular song was haunting and beautiful at the same time. 


Packing out this cast is a multitude of stunning performers; Hunter Wall as Lounge Singer and others, Nikki Wilde as Mama, Jess Ng as Ruth, Anthony Vitetzakis as Fector, Andrew Kassab as Gibbs, Dylan Pereira as Stevens, Chloe Smith as Ensemble, Greyson Vaughn as Ensemble, Leah Erskine as Ensemble and Tabitha Woods as Ensemble. Each of these performers was fantastic in their own right and helped to create a beautiful production. 

Overall Dogfight at Spotlight Theatrical Company is a harrowing tale told beautifully by some of the best talent on the Gold Coast. Dogfight performs at the Spotlight Halpin Auditorium until the 1st of June, don't miss out! BOOK NOW!

Photos by Vargo Studios

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Hair - Gold Coast Little Theatre

 Written by Mark Rickell   “Back in the late 1960s, the artists of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway had been complaining that the professional theatre was dead, and even worse, that it was boring. Hair was the revolution they had been waiting for. With very little plot, a unit set, plenty of four-letter words, explicit sexual content, rituals, drugs, lyrics that didn’t rhyme, music that didn’t follow the rules, and the sound of genuine rock and roll on the Broadway stage for the first time, this musical knocked Broadway on its collective ass.” - Scott Miller, Rebels with Applause: Broadway's Ground-Breaking Musicals   Gold Coast Little Theatre has faithfully continued the tradition of knocking theatre on its ass. With themes and topics that remain just as relevant today as they did in 1967 at the show’s original release, GCLT has absolutely smashed this Broadway classic. At a time when theatres across South East Queensland seem to be falling back o...
2 comments
Read more

Review: Equus - X Collective

    Written by Gabriel Besa ‘Equus’ from The X Collective was a superb showcasing of drama and all things theatre. From the exquisitely put together lighting to the character portrayal of each of the actors, The X Collective knows how to put on a show.    ‘Equus’ is a play written by Peter Shaffer in 1973, where he was inspired after he heard a seventeen-year-old boy blind six horses in a small town in northern England. It then went on to win the Tony Award for Best Play. The play switches from past and present as it acts out previous events that lead up to Alan Strang’s current state. Through the psychiatric expertise of Martin Dysart, we see the importance each character had played against Alan Strang’s life.   The X Collective had meticulously placed this production in the Holy Trinity Hall as it provides a state of eeriness and mystery for the audience. Since the venue strays from the average theatre, portable lighting and set desi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Medea - Queensland Theatre

Written by Grace Wilson From little things, big things grow. It’s a saying that is so Australian and so rooted in our culture. It inspires and it gives hope. Everyone knows of this saying and the song attached to it, but never have we experienced a situation where this saying comes to mind. That is until  Queensland Theatre’s production of Medea by Anne-Louise Sarks and Kate Mulvaney, directed by Daniel Evans. This adaptation of this famous Greek tragedy focuses on the perspective of the two sons of Jason and Medea. In the original myth, we see little to no actual story from these two young boys - so to see an adaptation from a frankly inaccessible storyline in the traditional drama was a bold and incredibly smart choice. To truly appreciate the way the playwrights took this traditional myth and flipped it on its head, a knowledge of the actual myth was required because the subtleties of references could easily be missed. The play ranged from blatant acknowledgments of the traditio...
Post a Comment
Read more