On the face of it, one might wonder how a French sex farce in which a greedy, deceptive bachelor shamelessly dupes three clueless, sexy women into simultaneously being his fiancées, roping in his seemingly naive old friend and his bemused housekeeper to keep the charade going could possibly play in this day and age.
At a time when gender is fluid, polyamory isn’t exactly uncommon, heteronormativity is passé, and men’s bad behavior toward women is decidedly tolerated with less frequency, how can we laugh at such ridiculousness?
The short answer is because it is, indeed, so utterly ridiculous. We need to laugh at these things. We need to laugh at ourselves, at human nature. We need to laugh, period.
And as times have changed, Marc Camoletti’s “Boeing Boeing” has grown even more satirical, its parody of stereotypes even more intensified; and since any script is only as good as those who interpret and produce it, and The Barn Theatre for decades has been the place to see farce, their current production draws out every bit of comedy possible from the preposterous situation and makes you downright giddy to watch it unfold.
“Boeing Boeing” is full of double entendre. Even its title is a play on words that insinuates both the jet airliner and the bouncy romp of this sex farce. Neither plane nor sex appear onstage, though they’re the driving forces of the characters’ doing and undoing, and who’s colliding into whom behind the many slamming doors is the source of great tension and humor.
Originally written in French and translated and produced in English in the 1960s with British and American revivals in the late aughts, the action takes place over the course of a single day in American architect Bernard’s Parisian bachelor pad. It’s the swinging ‘60s, and he’s juggling an “international harem” of fiancées. They’re air hostesses with different airlines and divergent flight patterns, so he enjoys the company of, at turns, three pre-screened beauties: a health-obsessed, feminist capitalist American (Trans World Airlines), a lusty, sentimental Italian (Alitalia), and a strong-willed, intense German (Lufthansa).
But it all goes awry the day the predicted flight patterns change and all three women descend on the flat at once and threaten to discover each other.
It’s a preposterous and would-be offensive set up, but directed by Brendan Ragotzy at The Barn Theatre, the immensely talented ensemble create hilarity with nuanced characters and milk the play’s subtext with clever physical comedy to tremendous effect.
Luke Ragotzy is an ideal Bernard, self-assured, charming, more than a little debonair, and utterly likable despite his brazen stupidity. His masterful physical comedy includes flipping over furniture and railings, then back again, a la young Chevy Chase in early SNL sketches.
He and Patrick Hunter as his old buddy Robert, from Wisconsin, make a terrific team, playing off each other with impeccable timing, delightful (at times hilariously homoerotic) sight gags, perfectly choreographed blocking, and more. The long set-up in the first act flies by thanks to their impeccable scene work.
Hunter’s Wisconsin accent full of hard, overly-emphasized vowels that, for example, make the words “bag” “Saturday” and “that” rhyme, is an actual hoot. And his Robert effectively embodies naivety and purity yet evolves sincerely with his own desire and curiosity to become a real contender with the ladies and yet juggles some pretty tricky relationships with real complexity. His remarkably skillful performance impressively overcomes a weakness in the script and makes this character so interesting and funny you can’t help but get hooked by every choice he makes and laugh out loud at in all kinds of unexpected moments.
Indeed, this whole production capitalizes on little unexpected moments—both in the script and created by the actors. Many of which are between Hunter and Penelope Alex as the housekeeper Berthe, little stand-offs, including one where each says “goodbye” a half a dozen or so times in at least as many ways that makes you howl with laughter. She stands her ground with a mere look or a snort, exasperation barely beneath the surface, and with such richness and subtlety in physicality and vocalization (with a perfect French accent to boot), her Berthe is wonderfully multi-dimensional even though in terms of lines and scripted character development she’s given very little.
Of the air hostesses, Emily Babcock nails Gloria, the New Yorker with a mind of her own. She’s in command and utterly convincing. Katie Snowday’s Gabriella wonderfully embodies the romantic, hot-headed Italian stereotype, including her speech patterns, while also bringing impressive layers to her emotionality. Claire Oliver is surprisingly meek and diminutive as the impassioned, overly-dominant Gretchen and her German accent is inconsistent and at times inexplicable, but the silliness in the script and the other ensemble members sufficiently carry her characterization and she doesn’t miss a beat.
Wonderful technical choices and details also elevate this production. Brett Burradell’s set, complete with five slamming doors plus another main entrance, creates terrific flow and varied spaces and places for the kooky scenes to play out. The visual appeal is enhanced by M. David Newtson’s lights as well as Steven Lee Burright’s period props, such as shallow, wide-mouthed coffee cups with saucers and an elegant rotary telephone perfectly timed with excellent sound design from Troy Benton. And especially fabulous and evocative of the 1960s are Alex Szczotka’s costumes, with each flight attendant wearing the colors of her respective airline, and GaryLee McCormick’s wigs.
Every detail is attended to, which perfectly enhances everything that makes “Boeing Boeing” work—as a period piece, as a comedy, as a hugely entertaining escape for the night in which you lose yourself. It’s everything audiences have come to expect of farce at The Barn where they make great comedy seem effortless. And here, they make the absurdity of sexual politics palatable and take “Boeing Boeing” to new heights.
Boeing Boeing
The Barn Theatre
July 23-Aug. 4
https://barntheatreschool.org/events/event/boeing-boeing-adult-comedy/
