The best thing about following contemporary musical theater is the abundance of cast recordings. Sh-K-Boom and Ghostlight Records, in particular, seems to be recording any show they can negotiate so we don't lose shows with short runs to the aether. Sh-K-Boom releases the smaller shows, while Ghostlight gets the blockbusters like The Book of Mormon. One show I was told over and over again to see but just couldn't get to was Dogfight. It's an odd subject for a musical, but very well written. It's the story of a group of marines who decide to hold a contest to find the ugliest date on their last night before shipping off to fight in Vietnam. One marine actually starts to fall for the girl he picked up, leading to trouble when he tries to stop her from going to the contest party.
Like I said, the subject matter is odd. Odd can work in a musical, though. Remember Urinetown? A musical so strange that the creators actually opened the show commenting not just on the strangeness of the material, but on the visceral reaction the title alone would create? That wound up winning three Tony Awards in big categories: Book, Score, and Director.
It's not alone in earning a significant place in the canon of American Musical Theater with a strange story to tell. Shows like Side Show (based on the lives of the Hilton Sisters, conjoined twins/vaudeville performers), Bat Boy (inspired by the long-running character in the Weekly World News), and even Tony-dominating The Book of Mormon regularly find a way to make stories that wouldn't work in other mediums sing and dance to rave reviews.
Dogfight is not an exception. The beautiful score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul added a level of sincerity no one could have expected from that story. True, the original 1991 film from director Nancy Savoca starring River Phoenix wasn't a comedy, but a story about marines hunting down ugly dates could easily shift to camp with music added.
Watch the incredible Lindsay Mendez sing the act one closing number "Pretty Funny" and see if you can find a drop of affectation or unintended humor.
Yes, the original cast recording of Dogfight is largely being sold with "Pretty Funny" as a marketing tool, but it's a solid recording. Sh-K-Boom doesn't put out poor quality records. On the contrary, their releases are some of my most cherished musical theater recordings. They sound great. If the show calls for a 20 piece orchestra, a 20 piece orchestra records the show. It's as simple as that.
Getting the rights to record a cast album after a show closes can be a tricky proposition if recording rights were not negotiated in the original contracts. Fortunately, most show creators and producers want new musicals recorded for a number of reasons. Licensing companies offer samples of cast recordings to convince theaters to perform the shows. Selling the cast recording opens up an extra revenue stream for a show that might not have had the longest run. And being able to pass around a completed cast recording to possible investors can make a huge difference in financing future for-profit runs of a new musical.
You don't have to wait to hear the cast recording of Dogfight. It's been streaming on Spotify for months. Pandora rotates it in heavily if you start with a pop/rock score for a new station. And, as if it isn't obvious, you can download the digital release right now on Amazon for your own collection.
Thoughts? Share them below.