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.