Trending
Millbrook’s season wouldn’t be complete without one of the hilarious, door-slamming farces it does so well.
On walking into the Poorman Cabaret for the performance of "Boeing-Boeing," we can tell immediately, confronting a set of six hot-pink doors, that over the course of the evening will be flung open and slammed shut, uncovering the secrets behind them in a giddy series of reversals and revelations. But hold on. Fasten your seatbelts! This play and its performance are so smart, so well-executed, so well-acted that -- from take-off to landing -- what starts as a typical farce becomes a soaring ride.
The plot is ripe for mishap. Bernard, an American living his dream in Paris, believes he has organized his life so well using airline time-tables that he can successfully juggle three beautiful airline hostesses who appear in precise succession at his door. In an interesting variation of polygamy, he is engaged to all three.
With the help of his maid, Berthe, his household runs like clockwork. But of course such a fragile order is bound to unravel. An old friend, Robert from Minnesota, comes to visit, and suddenly the hostesses’ planes are running early, or faster, or turning around in a storm and -- as you might guess -- all three women, each with her own outsized, compelling personality, show up at the same time.
The sheer physicality of the actors’ performances is impressive. The play’s vehicle provides ample room to exercise a fascinating geometry of coming together in passion or fury -- or collapsing and falling apart, with lots of pranks and prat-falls in between.
The three airline hostesses are fire-brands. Gloria, the American (played by Megan Wager), is impetuous and, shall we say, impressively gymnastic, crowing like a female Peter Pan every time she scores a kiss.
Gabriella, the Italian (played by Kathleen Macari), is seductive, and at times almost savage, using her sinuous body in a heady combination of threat and whispered promise.
And Gretchen, the German (played by Alice Bahlke, who was outstanding in last season’s "Misery"), offers a compelling performance as she moves seamlessly between arrogance and sensitivity, with an unexpected sly tenderness winning out at the end.
Bernard and Robert, in an effort to protect the secret, have a terrible -- and hilarious -- time trying to remember whether doors number one through six are safe to open or in need of bodily protection, and are kept in constant imbalance as one swings dangerously open just as another slams blissfully shut.
James Taylor III, as Bernard, is convincing as the formerly suave lothario whose legs are being knocked out from under him.
And Ed Mason, as Robert, provides the unexpected perspective of an American innocent who’s been unwittingly drawn into a scenario so crackling with possibility that he can’t help letting go of his loneliness. Mason, rolling beautifully with the punches, gives us at the same time an endearing portrait. We’re rooting for him all the way.
And then there’s Berthe. Played by Melissa Winter, with a delightful French accent, Berthe is the jaded philosopher at the heart of the chaos. Her character modulates the pacing of the play and, as a woman who’s becoming fed up with the disorder as well as with her diminished status, she provides an opening for transformation. Winter’s comic timing is priceless, and she gives us a wryly funny performance.
Lawrence Lesher provides an almost stylistic element in his direction of the play, which results in the thoughtful dramatic choreography of its most dramatic moments. The fact that these moments cohere to create a compelling, entirely delightful and fast-moving piece is also to his credit. Talking with him before the performance, I learned that he’s now worked with four of Millbrook’s Artistic Directors. Last year, for example, he directed, and acted in "Misery," and he can now add "Boeing-Boeing" to his impressive list of credentials.
Additional kudos to A.J. Luebbert for sound design, Cade M. Sikora for set design (all those shocking-pink doors!), Wesley Cone for lighting design and Maya Faye Gordon for costume design. Sarah Brownstein is production stage manager. The play will run at the Cabaret through July 23.
It’s a glorious ride -- without the carbon footprint! Get your tickets now!
--------
Karen Elias lives in Swissdale. She taught English for more than 30 years, most recently at Lock Haven University and Penn College.