Boeing Boeing
Boeing Boeing
By Marc Camoletti
Translated by Beverly Cross and Francis Evans
Directed by Mark Brotherton
Starring Patrick Sylvester and Eric Early
UCF Conservatory Theatre, Orlando FL</strong>
Once upon a time flying was glamorous and fun. One the things that made it fun (beside the 3 bag – 75 pound luggage allocation and free drinks in coach) were the sexy “air hostess”, otherwise known as the “Coffee, Tea or Me?” girls. Swinging Bernard (Sylvester) exploits this to the max is his sexy Paris pad, he’s engaged to three different girls and juggles them with aid of his long suffering maid Bertha (Kate Ingram). Bernard has complete trust in the reliability of international airline on-time performance and a well-thumbed copy of the flight schedule book. Thus, he successfully juggles his American Gloria (Emily Schwartz, flying for TWA), his Italian Gabrielle (Danielle Miller, flying for Al Italia) and his ambiguously Teutonic Gretchen (Kim Hough, courtesy of Lufthansa). When his old buddy Robert (Early) drops in from Wisconsin, the weather goes to hell, flights are rerouted, and the doors start slamming when the women arrive on an unplanned schedule. Can he juggle all the knives, or are his happy days about to turn sour in this very silly, very physical French seven-door sex farce.
While some of the acting is over the top, the net result is a still a very funny and occasionally nail-biting evening of comedy. The energy starts high and stays there, this lack of build makes the show a bit tiring to watch and the sweat is pouring off Sylvester and Early by intermission. Sylvester’s seems only concerned about the next 5 minutes; his long term planning skills seem insufficient to keep up this sexual façade for more than week or two. Bernard is silly and vulnerable even if he waffles between the sexually frustrated farm boy and a passably charming Sean Connery imitation, but as a physical comic he’s destined for greatness and large medical bills. Slap him in the face with a door, belly flop him onto the floor, or sling him around in a rolling office chair, he’s always the the highlight of the show. The women do their jobs well, although they are all curiously hard of hearing off stage and seem overly gullible. Gloria feels the most real; she’s got a Brooklyn accent and seems most enthusiastic about sex beyond Bernard. Gretchen is the stereotype; she’s got a hair trigger about German cooking and seems to enjoy groping Kate Ingram more than kissing Bernard. Gabrielle is the self-centered one; she gets headaches and won’t go out for a weekend in the country after covering three loops arouse the Atlantic.
There are some dated elements here including a midcentury modern male sexual fantasy, that never slows us down. The set is spectacular, complete with a view of a pixie stick Eiffel Tower. The air plane warning light on top isn’t every consistent, but as for a silly summer romp in the hay, you can’t beat “Boeing Boing”>
For more information on UCF Conservatory Theatre visit http://www.theatre.ucf.edu
