Micaela Diamond, standout star of The Cher Show, has been cast in the central role of Rose Fenny in Second Stage's upcoming one-night concert staging of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's 2012 musical Dogfight. Joining Diamond will be Derek Klena (Anastasia) reprising his performance as Eddie Birdlace from the original Second Stage production. Gina Rattan will direct and Bryan Perri will music-direct the previously announced event, set to play the Tony Kiser Theater on March 18 at 7:00pm.
The cast will also include Antonio Cipriano as Stevens, CJ Eldred as Gibbs, Alan H. Green as Lounge Singer, Sky Lakota-Lynch as Bernstein, Pearl Sun as Mama, Ryan Vasquez as Boland, Natalie Walker as Marcy, Daniel Yearwood as Fector and Henu Josephine Tarrant as Ruth Two Bears/Chippy.
Set on November 21, 1963, Dogfight follows three young Marines on the eve of their deployment to a small but growing conflict in Southeast Asia. The trio sets out for one last boys' night of debauchery, partying, and maybe a little trouble. When Corporal Eddie Birdlace (Klena) meets Rose (Diamond), an awkward and idealistic waitress, he enlists to win a cruel bet with his fellow recruits. Rose however rewrites the rules of the game and teaches him the power of compassion.
Based on the 1991 film starring Lili Taylor and River Phoenix, the musical Dogfight features a book by Peter Duchan and a score by Pasek and Paul (Dear Evan Hansen). The original Second Stage production of Dogfight starred Lindsay Mendez as Rose.