‘DOGS’ links hot dog eating with competition for success and happiness

‘DOGS,’ a raw, high-tension play focusing on the lengths women will go for success and the consequences that follow, premiered at The Edge Off Broadway Friday.

Written by Chicago-based playwright Hanna Kime and directed by freelance director and producer Becca Holloway, the show will run until Nov. 24 on Wednesdays through Sundays.

The play begins with hot dog eating contestants taking their place behind a row of tables labeled with name tags and scoreboards. As the competition begins, they stuff imaginary hot dogs down their throats, urged on by the cheering audience and aggressive host (Julian “Joolz” Stroop).

The leads include N. Bell (Elisabeth Del Toro), the contest’s long-time winner and golden child with a believe-in-yourself, follow-your-heart persona. Her bitter predecessor is V. Davis (Stephanie Shum), who struggles with severe bodily pain inflicted by years of over-consumption. P. Long (Isabella Moran del Cueto) is a rookie, navigating her way through cutthroat, destructive competition.

T. Peck (Allyce Torres) and C. Martin (Tatiana Pavela) are weathered veterans of the sport who lose every year but are unable to escape the hot dog-eating obsession.

The womens’ ambitions are unparalleled, curated by years of sacrifice and practice. But their efforts are riddled by self doubt from sexist assertions that convince them of their incompetence.

Kime’s hilariously relatable writing explores the contestants’ individual stories while eliciting constant laughter from the audience with ridiculous episodes.

In one scene, Bell vomits her scarily-realistic hot dog remains, exposing her struggle to maintain her title amidst the pressure to succeed. In another, Davis dresses as a sexy orange-red hot dog worshiped by the cast, which is dressed as meat-producing cows, pigs and chickens.

Meanwhile, the host’s comments and questions become increasingly invasive, representing the menacing whisper of capitalism, sexism and self-destructing ambition. Their congratulatory notes to Bell include phrases like “I’ve never seen a crowd this fired up for a womens’ contest,” and “Really, you can place in the mens’ contest.”

The play also comes to life with captivating performances from the cast, particularly from Del Toro, Moran del Cueto and Stroop. The lightning-speed shifts in tone, energy and varying expressions of ecstasy — then deep despair — keep the audience entertained and engaged.

The contest builds up to its climax, where the top contestants have eaten more than 40 hot dogs each. Then, the lights turn red, the cast’s choreography syncs dramatically and the contestants shout “DOGS” as they cram hot dogs down their throats.

Suddenly, Bell slows down. The audience is left on its toes as it wonders what she will do, and how her competitors will respond.

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