Boeing Boeing

Like pantomime, it is a challenge to direct farce successfully; as I learned in the early days of my directorial career. Jen Woods has bravely taken a similar path, ‘cutting her teeth’ – as she says in her programme notes - on the farcical play Boeing Boeing by French playwright Marc Camoletti, which we went to see at Tynemouth Priory Theatre last night. TPT is a company with extremely high standards, which were well maintained with this production.

The action, prefixed by a humorous cameo scenario from Dave Cooper and the stewardesses is centred on a couple of young French guys; Bernard (Oli Page’s) and his friend Robert (Vishal Pandit) – both newcomers to the TPT scene, in Bernard’s Paris apartment, which he shares with his humorous housekeeper Bertha (Judith Bell) and three beautiful young air stewardesses; Gloria – Pan-Am (Sarah Hudson), Gabriella – Al-Italia (Alex Pellegrino) and Gretchen - Lufthansa (Jess Watson). All of these girls work for different airlines and have different schedules which Bernard manages, with the help of Bertha and a very important diary to keep them apart, so he can ‘entertain’ them all separately… However, like all good farces, it all goes pear-shaped and climaxes at the end of Act 3 with them all coming face to face with one another. Mayhem ensues but there is a happy ending where he sees the error of his ways; not so Robert, who intends to ‘stray’ down a similar path!. The play was strongly cast – especially considering the newcomers to the Group.

 

It is a wordy play which requires its audience to listen very carefully in order to follow the plot, which was, at times difficult to do; firstly, by the accents employed by the actors and secondly, in my estimation, due to the lack of sound amplification. Not necessarily the need for a personal microphone for each one on stage, but just a couple of free-standing ones at the front would have helped to give the dialogue more body.

However, the production was a success with many laugh-out-loud moments. Well done to Director Jen and her assistant Dave Cooper, with another superb set with all of the necessary exits and entrances, designed and built by Tony Hall, Chris Young and Hugh McIntosh, managed by Mathew Hall, with props and set dressing of very high standards by Anne Leake, Liz Castle, Julie Hope and Trevor Bell. Excellent lighting and sound by James Elliott and costumes by Anne Hogg, Louise Evans and Jess Watson also contributed to the play’s success. Congratulations to all concerned for another super team effort.

Finally, thanks from me and my companion Pauleen for the invitation and an excellent night’s entertainment.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.