Review: ‘Boeing, Boeing’ lands with humor
The French sex farce “Boeing Boeing,” directed by Abbey Crawford, lands at the Modern Theater Spokane, delivering humor and some memorable performances.
The 1960s-era “Boeing Boeing,” by French playwright Marc Camoletti and translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans, features classic door slamming, physical comedy and a grumpy maid. While the script is thin and predictable and features stereotypical gender roles, it is a fun, airy romp.
Bernard (Kyle Kahklen) is an American businessman living in Paris. He loves and is engaged to three gorgeous stewardesses whom he keeps track of with a detailed airline route timetable. Of course, he’s not as in control as he thinks, and his love interests are bound to overlap. Therein lies the plot of the play. When Bernard’s school friend Robert (Henry McNulty) comes for an unexpected visit, things get bumpy.
The women playing the stewardesses take their characters to high heights, making them bold, brash and fervent.
Gretchen the German stewardess, played by Sarah Miller, is full of passion, and her physical characterizations augment her lines, each one delivered deliberately and lustily. She has an intimate relationship with the apartment’s furniture, even fondling the couch.
Aubrey Shimek Davis plays the super-confident American, Gloria. Her accent is reminiscent of Bette Davis. She takes control of her interactions with the men to comic effect.
Gabriella, the Italian, played by Nicole Meyer, is an ardent lover. She is the kind of girl who loves madly and makes a scene in a restaurant.
The fourth woman in Bernard’s life, Berthe, his French maid (not the short-skirted kind) is at the end of her rope. Callie McKinney Cabe’s character aids and abets Bernard with Madeline Kahn-esqe dryness and sarcasm. She and Bernard have several funny, angry stare-downs. Her expressions and body language are unreadable at times, though.
While the women exude great energy and enthusiasm, the men seem a bit flat in comparison. Bernard is too nonchalant when he describes his self-made situation and when things begin to unravel.
McNulty plays the straight man Robert a little too subdued. He’s missing the innocent, clown-like demeanor of a Wisconsin boy implied by the script. We should laugh because he’s caught up in his friend’s antics, but he behaves more like an accomplice.
There is much kissing in “Boeing Boeing,” and each kiss is a mini play of its own, thanks to director Crawford. All the comings and goings are timed fairly well.
The set, designed by George Green and Jeremy Whittington, establishes the tone and world excellently, with its line of six doors, world clocks, retro furniture and bright orange and teal colors. The floor is a map of the world with airline route lines and a clever little runway, complete with lights, leading to the apartment’s front door.
The play features some very funny bits of dialogue, such as when the maid and Robert vie for having the last word and the moment when two of the girls meet — “Who’s this?” each character says repeatedly and to the extreme. There are a few spots where pacing could be improved.
Overall, “Boeing Boeing” is sure to elicit “schmiles.”