A Tough Musical Called "Dogfight"

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Alexander Zenoz and Hannah Benitez

A Tough “Dogfight”; Actually a Love Story

By Skip Sheffield

“Dogfight” is not an easy show to like. The Slow Burn Theatre production runs through Nov. 29 in the Abdo Room of Broward Center for the Arts.

The very premise of the story by Peter Duchan is not pleasant. A group of U.S. Marines are letting off steam on an evening in 1963 before they are shipped off to Vietnam. They decide to play a little game. The men dare each other to find the ugliest woman he can find. After paying a $50 entrance fee, contestants are asked to take out that ugly woman. She will then be judged on her ugliness by the other men. The man with the ugliest woman wins the pot.

 Slow Burn has made a name for itself by presenting new and challenging material. “Dogfight” is both, but it is hard to embrace this tale of misogynist cruelty.

However, the heart of this show is a romance between one of the Marines and the “ugly” girl he chooses,

Actress and singer Hannah Benitez is not ugly at all. In fact her character of Rose Fenny is quite lovely, with a beautiful voice to match.

The Marine Eddie Birdlace (Alexander Zenoz) likewise has a lovely voice and a winning way, and thereby lies the saving grace of “Dogfight.”

The score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul is unremarkable. There is no “Some Enchanted Evening” in the lot. The songs describe and advance the action, but they are immediately forgettable.

The supporting cast of players under the direction and choreography of Patrick Fitzwater is quite excellent, with familiar Slow Burn names from their time in west Boca Raton. Mike Westrich plays the second banana alpha male, Bernstein. Rick Pena (who also designed the costumes), Christian Vandepas, Brian Varlea and Cameron Jordan are fellow Marines. The other “ugly girls” are Kaitlyn O’Neill, Alexa Baray and Sabrina Lynn Gore. No, not one of them is actually ugly.

I have mixed feelings about the United States Marines. I admire their bravery and physical fitness. On the other hand I endured the worst beating in my life by a Marine on leave from Vietnam. He called me a “long-head bastard” (I had long, curly blond hair) and proceeded to attack me with what seemed like an intent to kill. I was a physically unfit 4-F, so I never went to Vietnam.  I had many friends who did, and it seems none of them survived unscathed.

Tickets are $45. Call 954-462-0222 or go to www.browardcenter.org.

Sons of Monsters

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Hostvon Wachter and Niklas Frank

A “Nazi Legacy” Condemned And Denied

By Skip Sheffield

What happens to the children of monstrous mass murderers?

That is the question asked by the documentary “What Our Fathers Did: A Nazi Legacy.”

Directed by David Evans (“The Robber Bride”), “Fathers” was written by human rights lawyer Philippe Sands, who appears onscreen as the interviewer of Niklas Frank and Host von Wachter. Both are sons of high-ranking Nazi officials in eastern Europe. The men could not be more different. Frank denounced his father, who was Governor of Poland, 30 years previously and wrote the book “In The Shadow of the Reich.” Horst von Wachter, whose father did his dirty work in the Ukraine, remembers his father as loving and optimistic and his childhood being loving and pleasant. Not only does Horst refuse to denounce his father, he cannot bring himself to admit any wrongdoing on his part.

As the trio visits Poland and the Ukraine and they see the mute evidence of Nazi destruction, Sands becomes increasingly frustrated at Horst's denials. At a public debate in London Sands grills Horst to no avail.

“Fathers” proves that some people do not learn from mistakes of the past. The Holocaust cannot be forgotten, even if some people try to deny it.

"Love the Coopers" Not So Much

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“Love The Coopers” a Christmas Fable

By Skip Sheffield

It’s getting to be that time of year when Christmas-themed movies appear. “Love The Coopers” is a dysfunctional family Christmas fable with an A-list cast that includes Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Marisa Tomei, Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin.

Diane Keaton and John Goodman are Charlotte and Sam, a Pittsburgh couple married 40 years. They have traditionally hosted a big family Christmas Eve dinner, but this year tension is in the air. In fact Charlotte and Sam are thinking of calling it quits, but Charlotte in particular wants to carry on the Christmas tradition as if nothing was wrong.

Marisa Tomei is Charlotte’s younger sister Emma. The sisters have had a rocky relationship all their lives, and it has gotten worse with age. Early in the story Emma tries to steal a brooch and is arrested by solemn Officer Williams (Anthony Mackie).

Ed Helms is son Hank, recently divorced from Angie (Alex Borstein). Daughter Ruby (Amanda Seyfried) is unhappily working as a waitress at a diner, and even her grandfather Bucky (Alan Arkin) can’t cheer her up. Aunt Fishy (June Squibb) is showing early signs of dementia. Unmarried daughter Eleanor (Olivia Wilde), who has been carrying on an affair with a married man, has a chance meeting at the airport with a friendly soldier named Joe (Jake Lacy), whom she recruits to pretend to be her fiancé. Filling out the table are assorted grandchildren.

Director Jessie Nelson (“I Am Sam”) previously worked with screenwriter Steven Rogers on “Step Mom.” The story is amusingly narrated by the family dog, voiced by Steve Martin. Director Nelson tries to walk the fine line between comedy and pathos, but “Love The Coopers” isn’t very funny yet very sentimental. Every director dreams of creating a Christmas classic like “Miracle on 34^th Street” or “White Christmas,” but this is not one of them.

Need Inspiration?

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Short on Inspiration? Try “My All American”

By Skip Sheffield

Every so often we get an inspirational sports movie. For this year we have “My All American,” based on the book “Courage Beyond the Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story.”

Freddie Steinmark was a Colorado kid who was considered too small to play football. Nevertheless his strong will and determination was so fierce he became a star player on his Wheat Ridge High School team. Ultimately he was discovered by legendary University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal, who arranged for him to play for UT on a full scholarship.

Freddie Steinmark is played by stage actor Finn Wittrock, who like his character is inordinately handsome. Freddie was charismatic and attractive to the opposite sex, but he was also a devoutly religious Catholic, and when he met Linda Wheeler (Irish actress Sarah Bolger), he became devoted solely to her.

Coach Darrell Royal is played by veteran character actor Aaron Eckhart, who plays him as tough but compassionate.

Writer-director Angelo Pizzo has two previous successful inspirational sports movies: “Hoosiers” in 1986 and “Rudy’ in 1993. Pizzo understands how to build excitement even when the outcome is already known. Playing Freddie’s best friend James Street is actor Juston Street. Street replaced U Texas hotshot quarterback “Super Bill” Bradley (Donny Boaz) to lead Texas to a 1969 national championship and a victory over Notre Dame in the 1970 Cotton Bowl.

In addition to the inspiration of a little guy rising above his physical limitations, Freddie Steinmark faced an even greater challenge involving his health, and it was his courage and determination that gives “My All American” its real heart. If you are running short on inspiration, this little film should recharge you. If you are a cynic it won't matter

A "Hello Dolly" for a Gender-Nonspecific Age

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A “Hello, Dolly!” for a New Age at Wick Theatre

By Skip Sheffield

The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton has made history by presenting a man, actor-director Lee Roy Reams, in the lead female role of the beloved 1964 Jerry Herman musical “Hello Dolly!,” which runs through Dec. 6 at 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton.

The immediate question is why? As talented as he is, Lee Roy Reams is unmistakably a man, and a tall one at that. Reams is half a head taller than Lewis J. Stadlen’s Horace Vandergelder. Nevertheless theater producer Marilynn Wick says that Jerry Herman himself has given his blessing to let Broadway veteran Reams play the role.

Horace Vandergelder you may remember is the “half-millionaire” late 19^th century Yonkers merchant on whom widow Dolly Levi has set her matrimonial sights. Matchmaker Dolly has set up Horace with winsome young widow and milliner Irene Malloy (Susan Powell), but Irene is more naturally attracted to a man closer to her age; Horace’s hard-working assistant, Cornelius Hackl (James Clow). Cornelius has a weepy niece Ermengarde (Molly Anne Ross) who has a thing for Cornelius Hackl’s junior clerk, Barnaby Tucker (Jason Edward Cook).

In short, romance is in the air, everywhere in the Michael Stewart book, adopted from Thornton Wilder’s 1938 story “The Matchmaker.” Jerry Herman’s score is one of the best-loved parade of songs in American musical theater history, balancing comic novelty songs (“I Put My hand In,” “It Takes A Woman”) with tender ballads (“Ribbons Down My Back,” “It Only Takes a Moment”).

The unmistakably female Miss America 1981, Susan Powell, performs an especially moving “Ribbons Down My Back,” and she harmonizes beautifully with James Clow on the best love song, “It Only Takes a Moment.”

The large cast of “Hello, Dolly!’ is uniformly excellent and most beautifully costumed. The instrumentation, which was originally to be live, was changed at the last minute to pre-recorded. Once my original skepticism was overcome, I was able to fully enjoy this classic show. I have seen old Dollies, young Dollies, white Dollies and black Dollies. Now I’ve seen a male Dolly, and I must admit he/she becomes quite endearing.

Tickets are $70-$80.  Call 561-9952333 or go to www.thewick.org.

A New Theater Group at Willow Theater

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A New Deal at Willow Theater

By Skip Sheffield

Boca Raton has a new theater group, and its first production of a three-play season, “Scenes From a Chinese Restaurant,” plays through Nov. 15 at the Willow Theater of Sugar Sand Park.

The producer is The Playground Group LLC, whose home base is the Glades Road Branch Library. The playwright is local resident Tom Andrew, who also built the elaborate set pieces. The director is Joyce Sweeney, assisted by David Erlich.

As the title indicates, the play is a series of five scenes set in the Xu Shin Chinese Restaurant. We never see Mr. Shin but we do see his portrait and hear his wise words from famous thinkers as a preface to each scene. The cast is large (15) and diverse, skewing to an older demographic.

In the first scene we see three women and a man seated at their table, deeply engrossed in their handheld devices. A younger man Artie (Daniel Gil) makes his entrance carrying a bag. He apologizes for being late, but no one even looks up from their computer toys. The gag is no one ever acknowledges Artie even though he has brought expensive gifts for each one of them. Such is life in the plugged-in, tuned-out 21^st century.

The second scene is called “The Skeptic.” That would be a grump played by George Wentzler, who doesn’t believe in a higher power, good luck and certainly not the predictions inside fortune cookies. In this funny vignette, George’s four female friends (Maja Nile, Teresa Biber LoMonte and Darcy Hernandez) show how wrong he is.

Scene three is the bittersweet 25^th wedding anniversary of a couple (Brian Dever and Fran Friedman), which is the most emotional and poignant segment of the show.

The fourth scene and my favorite is called “The Early Birds,” for it is so Boca and so true. Four senior citizens (Don Grimme, Peter Hawkins, Penny Mandel and Elayne Wilks) have come to Xu Shin for its 5-7 p.m. $12.95 Early Bird Special of dinner and a bottle of beer with refill privileges. Peter Hawkins wears a plastic oxygen mask that makes him impossible to understand and lugs a large oxygen canister on wheels. The ever-patient hostess (Robin Alexander) smiles unfailingly as the loutish elders make is clear they don’t want to spend a penny more than $12.95, and they intend to get the most for their money. Sadly this goes on all the times at all-you-can-eat buffets, bit it is also the funniest bit.

The final scene features two couples (Jill Brown and Fran Friedman and Brian Dever and Nick LoMonte) wearing spectacle-style computer gizmos that enable them to gain insights into the character of potential love mates. Things don’t turn out quite as advertised, but that’s how it is with computer dating.

Shows are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $25 ($15 group). Call 561-347-3948.

"Assassin" a Chinese Sensory Treat

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Qi Shu as The Assassin

Chinese “Assassin” in Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale

By Skip Sheffield

In the mood for some exotic? How about an elaborate 8^th century Chinese costume drama?

“Assassin” is a beautiful, brutal and baffling martial arts film that doubles as a drama about courage, family, loyalty and revenge. The closest theaters to us are the Lake Worth Playhouse and Cinema Paradiso.

Based on a short story written during the Tang Dynasty, “Assassin” tells the tale of Nie Yinniang (Qi Shu) who was kidnapped by a nun as a 10year-old girl and trained in martial arts, swordsmanship and special skills to use any item at hand as a weapon. It is the 8^th century. The Tang Dynasty (618-807), considered to be the high point in Chinese civilization, is in decline. Weibo Province to the north has emerged the strongest province. After 13 years in exile, Nie has been ordered by a provincial General to assassinate his political rival, Lord Tian Ji’an (Chen Chang).

The trip to Weibo is perilous. Nie is ambushed but she fights back fiercely, killing rivals and displaying her balletic martial arts skills. Instead of assassinating her target, Nie becomes so enamored with him she decides to join forces. This evidently challenges the balance of power and threatens the stability of the whole region.

This plot description may not be entirely correct, for “Assassin” is indeed mystic and baffling to American eyes. What it is for sure is its amazing sensory experience: exquisitely beautiful visually and aurally, with sumptuous costumes, exotic dances and musical instruments, folk singing, hard-charging horseback riding, majestic scenery and of course impressive, meticulously choreographed fight scenes that are almost like dances. The dialogue is in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles.