What is art? That question has been pondered for centuries, and will surely be pondered for centuries to come. It comes up every time the media reports on some outlandish piece that sells for gobs of money, such as “Comedian” by Maurizio Cattelan, which consisted of a banana duct-taped to a wall, and sold for $6.2 million at Art Basel Miami Beach last November. After buying it, the new owner ate the banana.
In “Bad Dog,” a new play making its world premiere at Miami New Drama in Miami Beach, playwright Harley Elias takes the concept of outrageous art and runs with it, while also tackling a variety of other subjects, including personal identity; power dynamics; transformation; inner truth; outer lies; the bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism (BDSM) subset of pet play; generational trauma; and atonement. All of these themes are explored in a cleverly absurd script, full of twists, thought-provoking moments, and plenty of hilarious, laugh-out-loud scenes.
DOG EAT DOG WORLD
“Bad Dog” is set in a gallery at the start of Art Basel Miami Beach. Janet (Mia Matthews) a bossy, high-strung gallery owner, is ordering her staff to prepare for a very unusual art installation by a world-renowned artist, David (Caleb Scott.) The two staff members are never identified by name, only their titles, a telling detail that fits many of themes of the show. There’s Assistant (Krystal Millie Valdes) and Gallerina (Liba Vaynberg) who holds a slightly higher rank than Assistant and never lets her forget it.
In the competitive world of art, media attention is everything, so Janet is excited about the installation, in which David will live as a dog for one month. Assistant and Gallerina follow David’s instructions, arranging pee pee pads, dog dishes, and a dog bed in the gallery. Gallerina even nails a hook to a wall for a dog chain.
David arrives at the gallery in character – he’s on all fours, with black socks, knee pads, elbow pads, mittens, backless briefs, and a yellow harness around his body. An accompanying video, the first of several missives on an encrypted USB drive, explains that he will not utter human speech and that his dog name is Buddy. The next video, shown to the audience on the opening of the installation, explains that the concept is rooted in David’s Jewish identity, which prompts an endless stream of protesters outside the gallery.
That’s how “Bad Dog” begins. As the play unfolds over the next 90 minutes, it’s fascinating to watch how Janet, Assistant, and Gallerina react to and engage with Buddy, each seeing him as a safe place to reveal parts of themselves they’ve not shared with others. As they feed, water, train, play with, and clean up after Buddy, their relationship with Buddy changes – Janet sees him as a way to save her failing gallery, Assistant is inspired by him, and Gallerina sees him as a way to raise her status in the art world.
RUNNING WITH THE BIG DOGS
There is a lot going on in “Bad Dog,” but Elias weaves his themes together in a way that is both surprising and inevitable. The reasons behind David’s conceptual art as Buddy unfold gradually throughout the play, leading to a shocking secret that has caused upheaval to his personal identity.
Elias plays with power dynamics in the art world and in the gallery, but also in the BDSM world of pet play, in which a person’s fetish is living as and being treated as an animal. Elias also has fun with another concept in BDSM power exchange, and that’s topping from the bottom, in which the submissive is the one subtly controlling the dominants in a situation, all while letting the dominants think they’re the ones in charge.
Elias also explores the effects of generational trauma, its impact on identity, and atonements for ancestral sins.
The magic of “Bad Dog” is that all of these big questions and issues are dealt with in a way that is fun and insightful. And while there is a lot to process during the play and afterwards, it veers from being overwhelming, and succeeds as a puzzle that begs to be solved.
EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY
Scott is terrific as Buddy, and delivers a performance that’s as riveting as it is uncomfortable. Scott spends the entire play on his hands and knees or lying in the dog bed, panting, growling, barking, biting, and “running” around the gallery as far as his chain will allow. (One hopes Scott has a great chiropractor.) It’s physically grueling, but Scott pulls off David’s dog-and-pony show with a sly wink to the audience and canine confidence.
Matthews plays Janet to the hilt, wringing plenty of humor from her role as a rich girl art lover, whose exquisite taste is her only skill. Matthews peels away Janet’s layers and lets her character’s vulnerability show through cracks in her façade, richly portraying her deconstructed happiness.
As Assistant, Valdes gets to show off not only her acting skills but her musical chops as well, in scenes where she sings and plays guitar for Buddy. Valdes is fun to watch, especially in her scenes of verbal sparring with Gallerina, and her final, transformative moments.
Gallerina is the most interesting female character in “Bad Dog,” due to both the writing and Vaynberg’s performance. Of the three women in the gallery, Gallerina has the richest backstory. Each character also undergoes a transformation, and while Janet and Assistant’s transformations are abrupt, Gallerina’s is gradual, allowing the audience to experience it with her. It’s no surprise the play was originally named for her. Vaynberg delivers a masterful portrayal of an ambitious woman determined to get what she wants, and do it on her own terms.
The design elements in “Bad Dog” are elegant and cohesive. The tall walls, windows, and angles created by scenic designers Justin Swader and Christopher Swader are perfect for the gallery setting, and gives Kirk Bookman a blank canvas for his bold lighting design. Saloman Lerner’s sound design complements both the live and video aspects of scenes. Christopher Vergara’s costumes not only enhance each character but also illustrates their transformation, especially Gallerina’s journey.
Michel Hausmann, director of “Bad Dog” and artistic director of Miami New Drama, keeps the pace brisk and the laughs coming. His use of space underscores the deepening of the intricate plot, starting out with great distance between the characters but slowly narrowing the scope as the story becomes more intimate.
“Bad Dog” is one of the best plays to come along in years. It’s cleverly constructed and is a true original, bound to provoke some spirited post-play conversations.
IF YOU GO
“Bad Dog”
Through Feb. 16
Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach