Boeing, Boeing

What an excellent set to greet us in the hall, congratulations to all involved in design and construction and dressings, certainly looked the part of upmarket flat in Paris.

Bella Chirodian certainly assembled the right cast and worked them hard, into split second timing with those entrances and doors to bedrooms to give pace to this classic comedy which had so much success when the play ran in London.

The two men had so much to keep up with, all those different girls with that airline timetable, certainly quite harassing, the relationship between them worked well and Adam Sewell as the lothario Bernard and Peter Harold as his hapless friend Robert visiting tried hard to keep up with the situations and interacted well. The audience were ahead on their situation on several accounts and so were ready for the laughs, and the dialogue just lent itself to the timing and comedy in this known play.

The three air hostesses looked fabulous in their uniforms, trim and smart, and of course in that period to be an air hostess was every girl’s ambition and it was very prestigious and glamorous. Holly Warren as Gloria (TWA) kept her American accent well and the enthusiasm of young America; Ellie Hupton as Gabriella (Alitalia) was Italian sexy and smart; Mery Anderson as Gretchen (Lufthansa) was very fetching in her genuine uniform (well done in finding) and her German accent and comments on sauerkraut well maintained.  These three worked well with great outgoing personalities, loving Bernard too much and some flirting with Robert, their interactions when they discovered the other girls really amusing. And the timing of visits through the timetable as they rushed from front door to bedroom door via sofa was excellent farce well maintained. Certainly a glamorous and well timed team of girls who kept to the period style.

And the role to die for, exhausting keeping up with every move and situation, photos and pictures changed with lightning speed, and meal menus to perfection, Susie Jowett as Bertha the housekeeper was a whirling dervish of organisation as she coped with employer and visitor and those girls, she was excellent in her timing.

Liked the programme as safety flight sheet, clever idea.

Great to see this classic play from the past and to enjoy such a good evening of laughter and farce timing done so well, and the ‘team’ should be congratulated.

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