The Milwaukee Post

September 18, 2015 • Milwaukee County Post • 17 'Dogfight' examines human cruelty, spirit By JULIE MCHALE Post Theater Critic MILWAUKEE — Based on a 1991 film of the same name, "Dogfight," the musi- cal, opened off-Broadway in 2012. This is its first showing in the Milwaukee area. The setting is 1963. The Vietnam War is on, and young Marines are enjoying their last fling in San Francisco before leaving for combat. They are immature and, in some ways, an embarrassment to the male species. The play opens at the end of the story and is told in flashbacks. An impressive live orchestra graces the stage. A somber-looking soldier is approached as he sits on the bus in San Francisco. He is in a daze and unwilling to engage in conversation when approached by anoth- er passenger who inquires about the war. Then back to the night before this group was deployed to Vietnam with their opening musical num- ber, "Take Me Back." The focus now shifts to three men in the group whose last names start with "B" — Birdlace, Boland and Bernstein — "The Bees." We follow their exploits on their last night of freedom and learn that they are an insensitive trio who use women. They engage in a crude game called "Dogfight," where they pool their money in a bet in which the winner is the man who can find the ugliest date. Shift again to Birdlace and the young woman who runs a diner with her mother. He asks her to accompany him on a date, and she naively says yes, believing he is the sincere guy he's pretending to be. Her first solo, "Nothing Short of Wonderful" immediately hooks us on the character and vocal ability of Rachael Zientek, the most outstanding performer in a talented cast. Most of the story is the re- living of that last night of freedom and especially how it impacts Birdlace and Rose, the young waitress. We begin to care about them both. We sense all along that this is not going to be a happy-ending drama, but there is enough suspense built up that we're very interested in what life has in store for each of them, for better or worse. The music is compelling in both the solo and ensem- ble numbers (Patrick Thompson), the choreogra- phy is well-executed (Karl Miller), and the overall pac- ing and quality of the show keep us engaged (Robby McGhee). Lucas Pastrana, who plays Birdlace, is to be commend- ed in his role, and Amber Smith as Marcy and Matt Zeman as the lounge singer and waiter both made their roles memorable as well. Submitted photo A scene from All-In Productions' "Dogfight." By TOM JOZWIK Post Film Critic It may not be a technical trailblazer, but "Grandma" is a terrific motion picture: unfailingly amusing, poig- nant, very capably acted, a thorough — and thoroughly captivating — story in 79 short minutes. The best thing about one of the best flicks anybody's like- ly to see this year is Lily Tomlin in the title role. The iconoclast she portrays, Elle Reid, is sort of a combina- tion of Tomlin's comical TV telephone operator from "Laugh-In" (Remember? "Is this the party to whom I am speaking?") and the tortured soul she played in the movie "Nashville." Elle is the antithesis of a grandmother, one whose language and antics are beyond embar- rassing, but also the grand- ma you wish you had, a most agreeable ally who really means it when she says, "If anybody gives you any ---- they're gonna have to deal with me!" Elle is a poet whose halcy- on days are behind her ("I was marginally well-known 40 years ago"). She's just bro- ken up with her much younger girlfriend (a likable, watchable Judy Greer) in a short-term, rebound rela- tionship following the death of Elle's partner of three decades. Seen only in photo- graphs and drawings, that partner is enough of a pres- ence in "Grandma" to be con- sidered a character, not unlike the husband-father absent throughout Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie." But the Paul Weitz movie is more along the lines of Woody Allen than Williams. Greer's Olivia is barely out the door when the source of the movie's title shows up. Sage (Julia Garner), Elle's adolescent granddaughter, has come for help. Sage, whose generally serene demeanor masks her vulner- ability and naivete, is preg- nant and has an appointment for an abortion that very evening. Trouble is, she needs $600. Elle's willing to assist, but nearly as broke as her grand- daughter. So, tooling around in a vintage but unreliable Dodge, the pair visit poten- tial cash sources: Sage's boyfriend (the father), unwilling to contribute any- thing but tough talk until Grandma proves tougher; Elle's tattoo artist friend from bygone days (Elle lingers to get a circle brand- ed on her arm); a café opera- tor who once expressed inter- est in purchasing books from the poet's collection; even Karl (hypnotic-voiced and stately Sam Elliott), the hus- band Elle long ago aban- doned. Grandma and granddaugh- ter come up short on the journey that's a metaphor for the older woman's life, providing, as it does, infor- mation about both Elle and her late partner. The travel- ers along Memory Lane are forced to make a final stop — at the impressive suite of offices wherein Martha Gay Harden as Elle's virtually estranged ("We're not speak- ing that often," says Elle) daughter Judy runs a busi- ness. It's been said grandchil- dren and grandparents tend to get along because they share a common enemy and that seems to be the case with Sage and Elle. Both find Judy "scary" — too scary to ask for money, too scary to tell about her daughter's pregnancy. The viewer understands the minute the successful businesswoman appears, multitasking by exercising on a treadmill while barking orders to underlings. Soon Judy is cracking wise, in the manner of her mom, about Sage's careless- ness, and denouncing Elle as "an awful mother." The scary one ultimately shows a softer side, though, and the dys- functional family might just be headed toward Functional City. Some will say abortion is treated too lightly in "Grandma." I'll just say a dif- ferent outcome wouldn't have hurt the film — and I'll welcome, as Hollywood might at Oscar time, Tomlin's first starring movie role in nearly 30 years. Tomlin terrific as 'Grandma' you wish you had At a glance "Grandma" ★★★1/2 Starring: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer, Sam Elliott Director: Paul Weitz MPAA rating: R Running time: 79 minutes Release date: Friday Showings: www.landmarkthe- atres.com EPK.TV Elle Reid (Lily Tomlin, foreground) and granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner) travel in a vin- tage Dodge in a scene from the comedy "Grandma." ENTERTAINMENT "Dogfight" All In Productions' final week- end of the musical is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St., Milwaukee. Call 414-278-0765 or visit www.nextact.org. At a glance

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