BOEING BOEING: CAT’s 55th Season Opens with a French Farce

BOEING BOEING: Who’s Behind Door Number 2?

A Theater Review by Julinda D. Lewis

At: CAT Theatre, 419 No. Wilkinson Rd., RVA 23227

Performances: September 7-22, 2018

Ticket Prices: $23 Adults; $18 RVATA Members; $13 Students

Info: (804) 804-262-9760 or cat@cattheatre.com

 

• Desperate times call for laughter. This was my second night in a row attending a comedy (see my discussion of Invalid at The Firehouse Theatre, September 6, 2018).
• In addition, after 54 years of producing theater in Richmond, CAT Theatre announced barely a month ago that they would be going dark after this show. They had not been being able to secure a lease for the space they’ve been renting long-term. Just hours before the opening night curtain of what would have been their final show, it was announced that the matter has been resolved. The company will be staying at the No. Wilkinson Road space they rent from the Northern Henrico Civic Association for the remainder of this season and possibly into the future. In a press release from the Virginia Repertory Theatre, CAT Board President Kelly St. Clair stated, in part, “We have every expectation that this will be a long term fix to our short term challenges,” and added, “Plans call for CAT’s productions to continue in place for many years to come.”

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Boeing Boeing is a 1960 French farce, written by Marc Camoletti and translated into English by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans. I first (and last) saw it at Hanover Tavern in 2011. A fast-paced romp that depends on physical comedy, slamming doors, and perfect timing, the three-act play drew barrels of laughter from the opening night audience, but dragged noticeably during the third act, which comes after the intermission.

 

The plot revolves around Bernard (Brent Deekins), a Paris-based American architect who spends most of his time juggling his three fiancées. Yes, three. Each is an airline hostess with a different airline. Gloria (Rylee Daniels) is American, Gabriella (Marcia Cunning) is Italian, and Gretchen (Paige Reisenfeld) is German. Each is distinguished by the color of her airline uniform, red, blue, or yellow. Bernard has a French maid, Berthe (Sara Sommers) who spends more time bemoaning her fate as a servant and her role in helping Bernard keep his airline schedules straight than actually cooking and cleaning. Berthe changes the sofa cushions to match the uniform of each fiancée. The cast is rounded out by Bernard’s old school friend Robert (Travis Williams) who drops by for an unexpected visit just hours before the airlines change their schedules resulting in the obligatory comedy of errors.

 

Pat Walker’s bright and serviceable set included seven doors, most of which were thrust open and slammed with regularity during the two and one half hours or so running time, but there were few clues to indicate that this was set in Paris, or near Orly airport, or in the 1960s. It did seem odd that the front door opened into the hallway, as outer doors traditionally open into the house or apartment. Another oddity is that, at the end, Travis Williams took the stage last for the final bow, rather than Brent Deekins, suggesting that Robert was the star rather than Bernard. Hmm.

 

There’s a lot of shouting and loud cross talking, which makes it unlikely that anyone in one room would not have heard what was going on in the other rooms – but the nature of a farce often requires the audience to willingly relinquish any remaining remnant of reality. I thought Reisenfeld had the best handle on her character, striking a good balance between physical comedy, emotional swings, and comedic timing. Cunning’s character was, ironically a bit too trusting, but Daniels’ character was too cold and calculating, and while that artistic decision suited the final scene, it made her less likeable overall. I thoroughly enjoyed Sommer’s portrayal of the salty maid, but I found the men’s characters were painted broad and flat, making them appear to be flat and cartoonish. The result was that their loud outbursts of laughter and increasingly ineffectual attempts at subterfuge seemed more forced than farce. Glenn Abernathy, who directed, is a recent graduate of Christopher Newport University’s theater department, and this is his first time directing in the Richmond community.

 

There is much to enjoy about Boeing Boeing, and when I did laugh – which was frequently – I was laughing with the characters as well as at their antics, but things speed towards an inevitable conclusion that is not what one would expect. As in real life, people often don’t get what they deserve. Go, enjoy, be entertained. There really isn’t anything deep or serious hiding here.

 

Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.

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Photo Credits: Jeremy Bustin Photography