Boeing-Boeing, written by Marc Camoletti and directed by Nathan Mitchell
Purple Rose Theatre, Chelsea
Gloria, Gretchen and Gabriella have a lot in common. All three are stunning beauties. All three are international airline hostesses with frequent layovers in Paris. And all three are engaged to Bernard.
Bernard, the swinging American (this is set in Paris, circa 1965), juggles the three women according to a tight timetable, which he shows off to Robert, a newly arrived pal from Wisconsin. Bernard is convinced he’s landed on the perfect system for love and happiness, which he maintains only with the efforts of his long-suffering and cranky maid Berthe.
Of course, the timetables are turned on Bernard, and when all three women show up in Paris at the same time, Robert and Berthe must do their best to keep the women from colliding.
The cast of this Purple Rose production of Boeing-Boeing has the audience in stitches from start to finish. The dialog is hilarious, but it's rendered more so because of the precise characterizations:
Jeff Thomakos as Bernard is the suave, over-confident lover who completely wilts when the crisis arrives. Bernard is voiced uncannily like Jon Lovitz, but with better packaging.
Matthew David, as Robert, is the mild-mannered Midwestern guy who suddenly discovers a knack for romantic mayhem.
Michelle Mountain, as Berthe the maid, is a rumbling volcano ever on the verge of eruption. Most of her lines are threats, rendered in French, describing her determination to either quit or go mad or both – all under the stress of juggling the demands of three intense mistresses.
Stacie Hadgikosti, as Gloria, is the American with a unique philosophy equating the domination of wives over subservient husbands as the key to America’s economic prosperity. (Note: this was1965).
Charlyn Swarthout, as Gretchen, is the German girl with the looks of a St. Pauli Girl poster and the manner of an SS Officer retired to the domestic tranquility of a dominatrix.
Rhiannon Ragland, as Gabriella, is the hot-blooded Italian who loves Robert passionately and jealously. She never quite threatens to tear his heart out with her bare hands, but she certainly seems capable.
Everything about this production – the costumes, set, music and lighting – is spot on. What really makes it memorable, however, is the sheer physicality of the production. We attribute this not only to the nimbleness of the cast, but to the vision of Nathan Mitchell, making his professional directing debut. As an experienced fight choreographer and instructor, Mitchell takes the comedic conflicts in the story and choreographs them like a martial arts performance. Robert leaps across the room with a bean bag chair (remember – 1965) to conceal an incriminatory airline bag. The collapse of suave Bernard’s tightly scheduled world is signaled by a sprawling pratfall in the posh Paris apartment. Gretchen pounces on Robert with all the agility and menace of a hungry puma. And the entire cast pops in and out of doors like an elaborate Swiss clock; it's just fun to watch.
The show runs through August 28. For tickets or more information, visit the PRTC website or call the Box Office at 734.433.7673.
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