[NEohioPAL] Review of "Boeing Boeing" at Lakeland Civic Theatre

[Bob Abelman]

'Boeing Boeing' fails to take off at Lakeland Civic Theatre

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review will appear in the News-Herald on 9/27/13

 

 

Farce - that brand of exaggerated comedy that places clueless characters (usually in their underwear) in unlikely situations (usually sexual) that escalate in pace and improbability to the point of absurdity - is an acquired taste dictated by culture.

 

Take "Boeing Boeing," a classic farce written by popular French playwright Marc Camoletti.  It premiered in Paris in 1960, where it ran for seven years.  An English translation was first staged in London in 1962, where it ran for seven years.  When the show came to Broadway in 1965, it lasted 23 performances.

 

"Boeing Boeing" is currently on stage at the Lakeland Civic Theatre and unless you are French or British, you will likely side with the New Yorkers.

 

The play revolves around Bernard, an American architect living in Paris who is juggling love affairs with three gorgeous airline hostesses.  Thanks to Bernard's careful coordination of flight schedules, and with the assistance of his perpetually grumbling housekeeper, Berthe, the three girls have no idea of the others' existence.   One arrives at the apartment for a short stay between flights just as another departs for the airport.  And so on.

 

Clearly, this arrangement is an accident waiting to happen, which it does upon the unexpected arrival of Robert, Bernard's old buddy from Wisconsin.  Robert's lack of sophistication, desperate need for female companionship, and awkward omnipresence sets Bernard's balanced world off-kilter.  Let the merriment, near-misses and predictable head-on collision begin.

 

"Boeing Boeing" actually returned to Broadway in 2008, convinced that the memory of its earlier debacle had subsided and the time was ripe for nostalgic comedy.  It won the Tony and Drama Desk awards for Best Revival.  

 

It did so by throwing theatrical pretension out the window and precaution to the wind.  

 

The full-throttled outrageousness inherent in farce was amped up a notch or two, so that even New Yorkers would take notice and be amused.  

 

Wild 1960's kitsch infused its scenic design to the point of being a running sight gag and the era's fun-loving sexual stereotypes informed the highly exaggerated performances.

 

Placed in the middle of all this zaniness was a Robert capable of broad physical comedy and hilarious pratfalls, so that the laughs were not in the script's tedious banter but in the central comedic character's over-reactions to it.  

 

None of this is in evidence in Lakeland Civic Theatre's flat production of "Boeing Boeing" under Martin Friedman's uninspired direction.   

 

Scenic and lighting designer Keith Nagy goes for classic rather than kitschy, and functional rather than sight gag.  By not going for the cheap laughs, this production has to earn its laughs the hard way.

 

The actresses playing airline hostesses earn their share.  Katie Nabors, as Gloria, is a wonderfully take-charge but free-loving American who lights up the stage.  Nancy Telzerow, as the Italian Gabriella, is hilariously volatile without shedding any of her character's glamour, which is wonderful to watch.  Tess Elizabeth Burgler is delightful as the stoic German who gives into passion as if it were against her nature.  

 

As the maid, Berte, Beth Lee serves up a very funny combination of French indifference and annoyance at all the mayhem taking place in the apartment.

 

While the women hold up their end of the production, the men do not.

 

Jeffrey Grover is a superb dramatic actor but his stiff depiction of Bernard suggests that he is not built for farce.  Out of his element and incapable of finding his comic timing, Grover's romantic interactions with the airline hostesses are awkward affairs, as are his exchanges with Brian Zoldessy, who plays Robert.  Grover spends most of his time trying desperately to get out of the way of the comedy.

 

Zoldessy, on the other hand, dives right in.  Every nebbishy gesture and facial expression is a treat and he works hard to breathe life into this production.   However, Zoldessy is skilled at internalizing conflict and offering nuanced reactions rather than executing the broad comedy and highly physical pratfalls this anemic play requires.  He is amusing but never hilarious.  

 

Consequently, this production idles but never takes off and never soars. 

 

Neither Zoldessy nor Grover is helped by some of Friedman's peculiar direction, which requires them to bring their business toward the audience and center stage with mechanical regularly.  The purpose of this maneuver is elusive, as is the "laugh out loud farce" promised in the playbill. 

 

"Boeing Boeing" continues through October 6 at Lakeland Civic Theatre, 7700 Clocktower Drive, on the Lakeland Community College campus in Kirtland.  For tickets, which are $7 to $13, call 440-525-7134 or contact martinfriedman98 at yahoo.com.
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