By Cassandra Symonds
Special to Independent Newsmedia

Brelby Theatre Company, 7154 N. 58th Drive, presented the Arizona premiere of “Dogfight,” Friday and will have its final show of opening weekend at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Subsequent performances are at 7:30 p.m. July 21-22, 28-29, Aug. 4-5 and at 2 p.m. July 23, 30.

Kinsey Peotter stars as Rose and Joshua Lindblom as Eddie in Brelby’s latest production, 'Dogfight,'

It is Nov. 21, 1963. On the eve of their deployment to a small but growing conflict in Southeast Asia, three young Marines set out for one final boys’ night of debauchery, partying and maybe a little trouble. But when Corp. Eddie Birdlace meets Rose, an awkward and idealistic waitress, he enlists to win a cruel bet with his fellow recruits, she rewrites the rules of the game and teaches him the power of love and compassion.

“Dogfight,” with music and lyrics by 2017 Tony Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and book by Peter Duchan, is based on the Warner Bros. film and screenplay by Bob Comfort.

“In Dogfight we are transported back to the 1960s by the narrative of Eddie Birdlace, a U.S. Marine returning from Vietnam ... and one who has been fractured and broken by the extreme nature of war,” said Shelby Maticic, Brelby artistic director and “Dogfight” director. “We have the opportunity to see him as a young and idealistic boy in 1963 through flashbacks to the infamous evening of the show’s major event, the dogfi ght.”

The Dogfight cast includes: Rose Fenny - Kinsey Peotter (Brelby stage debut); Eddie Birdlace – Joshua Lindblom (Brelby stage debut); Bernstein – Ryan Malikowski (Brelby stage debut); Boland - Nicholas Gearing (Brelby stage debut); Marcy – Amelia Huot (Brelby stage debut); Fector – Jack Taylor (Brelby stage debut); Stevens – Karson Cook (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee); Gibbs - Ricco Machado Torres (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee); and Lounge Singer – Kevin Fenderson (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee).

Brelby partners with local downtown Glendale businesses to offer more options for audience members. By showing their digital ticket, audiences can receive 10 percent off of their bill at the Hop Stop Diner, 10 percent off of any entrée at Haus Murphy’s Restaurant, and 10 percent off of a customer’s bill at the Olde Towne Glendale (OTG) Beer & Wine Bar or the Gaslight Inn.

Tickets are available by visiting brelby.com/tickets. General admission is $25 per performance. Admission is included in the benefits of Brelby’s ShowGO subscription: brelby.com/showgo.

Editor’s note: Cassandra Symonds handles public relations for Universal Access Productions.