Dog Day Afternoon is in performances at the August Wilson Theatre through July 12.
By Elazar Abrahams
Based on the much-acclaimed 1975 film of the same name, the stage adaptation of Dog Day Afternoon has received pretty middling reviews. Don’t be dissuaded though — the play is extremely engaging, and plenty thrilling.
Perhaps it helps to not be familiar with the movie at all, and grading this new work by comparison. Much of the knock against this iteration is rooted in the complaint of leaning into a more comedic tone, whereas the film was far more serious. But the style really works, and doesn’t detract from the exhilarating nature of the plot whatsoever. The show drops audiences into a single day in Gravesend, Brooklyn, when gunmen enter a bank and a robbery attempt quickly spirals into a hostage standoff that captures the attention of the whole city.
The real-time nature of the story is a huge reason why the script feels so propulsive. It keeps you locked in with a crisis situation unfolding minute-by-minute, with the panic and adrenaline of the central characters driving much of the drama. It also benefits from being relatively contained, only set in one or two primary spaces. It’s sort of claustrophobic in the way tension keeps ratcheting up and stakes rise.
A lot of recent Broadway dramas enter intermission with a whimper. Take, for instance, Bug, another self-proclaimed “thrilled” that recently held a New York stage. It concluded its first act with a shrug-inducing scene that did not present the promise of an even more intense second half. Dog Day Afternoon nails its act break, to the point where you can’t wait for the lights to dim back down.
The greatness of this piece belongs to Jon Bernthal. He plays Sonny, the leader of the robbery, and it’s not an exaggeration to say the show rests on his shoulders. Bernthal is one of the most underrated actors of his generation, and this performance is a reminder of what he does best: he’s animated without being sloppy, intense without being messy, and he calibrates the emotional temperature of a scene with real precision. He nails the monologues, he nails the nervous back-and-forth, and he makes Sonny feel ragingly volatile and human at the same time.
By comparison, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Sal has surprisingly little to do. He still has stage presence, standing in the background menacingly, and lashing out at the poor bank tellers, but never gets a real turn in the spotlight. Ticket buyers hoping for a true two-hander and chemistry between the two men may be disappointed. First and foremost, this is a showcase for Bernthal.
Dog Day uses a revolving set well, toggling between the interior and exterior of the bank when needed. The set is excellent, and captures that texture of South Brooklyn in the 70s without limiting the play to being just a period piece.
At this point, it’s become a staging cliche to have actors pop up in the orchestra or mezzanine aisles to yell lines and make the audience feel immersed. Utilizing that space is a trick done to death. But there’s a scene in Dog Day Afternoon that uses this method in such an exciting way. Sonny exits the bank and the cops and crowds appear around the audience with megaphones and pistols. The balcony is now part of the chaos. Genius.
Where the show wobbles a bit is the second act. The opening hour is a ride, and while that continues throughout right up to the satisfying ending, the latter half is shakier. If you know the source material and the true story this is all based on, it won’t be a surprise, but there’s a revelation about the deeper motivation behind the robbery that strikes as absolutely ridiculous. While probably groundbreaking when the Al Pacino-led flick first entered pop culture, here it lands quite oddly.
Even with that bump, Dog Day Afternoon is a stellar night at the theater. Bernthal is just that good, and the script keeps tension high. If you can catch it at an affordable price, it’s definitely worth the trip.
Find tickets and more information HERE.
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