NEW YORK--There's reason to cheer and to laugh uproariously, as a wonderful revival of the 1960s English comedy Boeing-Boeing (written by Marc Camoletti, translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans, literal translation by Christ Cambell) makes a brilliant landing on Broadway. A long-running hit in London, the show lasted less than a month when it first arrived on these shores in 1965. (The work was originally a French farce and was made into a film in that same year.) Fortunately this time around, everything comes together to present an enjoyable confection of improbable circumstances, sight gags, and narrow escapes.
American architect Bernard (Bradley Whitford), currently living in a spacious Paris apartment, is happily juggling three girlfriends, Gabriella (Gina Gershon), Gretchen (Mary McCormack), and Gloria (Kathryn Hahn) From Spain, Germany and America, respectively. All are flight attendants (for different airlines) and all live with him when they are in town. As he explains to old school chum Robert (Mark Rylance) who has just dropped by, he keeps them from finding out about one another by following the various airline timetables to keep track of their flights, scheduling his social life accordingly. Helping keep Bernard on an even keel is his long-suffering French housekeeper Berthe, (Christine Baranski).
However Bernard's well laid plans go out the window when, unbeknownst to him, flights are canceled, layovers are changed and all three ladies converge on the apartment. With Bernard at first away, and later at wits end and unable to deal with the ever-escalating crisis, it falls to Robert (and to a lesser degree, Berthe) to keep the situation from becoming a total disaster. In order for farce to work properly, the timing must be impeccable, and such is indeed the case here. Director Matthew Warchus deftly stages the show by building up both the general tension and frenetic pace exponentially. As such, the audience (and Bernard) barely has time to recover from one close escape, when another potentially damaging situation begins. By the end, things move so fast it's hard to know where to look as one wonders if the three ladies, by now becoming suspicious that something is not quite right, can be persuaded by Bernard and Robert's increasingly desperate explanations.
The casting works well, with the various actors taking their roles and situations very seriously, even as the audience is in stitches. At the center of it all is Rylance, turning in a simply masterful performance as the somewhat befuddled Robert, who must resort to more and more outlandish actions in order to keep the entire house of cards from collapsing. While at the same time, finding the wherewithal to be the man he always wanted to be-at least in his fantasies. (Rylance also lets loose with some of the most priceless deadpan expressions to grace the stage in recent memory.) Also quite funny is Baranski as the maid who thinks she's seen it all but, like Robert and Bernard, is soon completely overwhelmed and does her best to keep things afloat for as long as she can.
In a wise move, no effort has been made to update the kitschy plot, setting and characters to the present day; or imbue them with 21st century political correctness or morality. The girls are basically stereotypes (the brash American, the cold German, the fiery Spaniard), but the actresses play them with such humor and power that they're not only likeable and funny, but you wind up hoping all will get the happy ending they deserve. McCormack is wonderful as Gretchen, going from a coldly passionate lady to one with feelings for two men; Hahn is enjoyable as the American girl with a fondness for hot dogs and who may be a bit more open-minded than one suspects; while Gershon does an enjoyable turn as the hot-tempered (and hot-blooded) Gabriella.
Whitford represents the only misstep in the play (albeit a minor one). He's a bit too old to play the free-spirited bachelor and his farcical attempts to keep Bernard's girlfriends in the dark sometime slip over the line into parody. Still, he works well enough with the rest of the cast, delivering the necessary exposition and having some major nervous breakdowns while all is crashing down around him.
Rob Howell's set and costumes work well (especially the women's airline uniforms) as does the hair design by Lawrence Boyette. All of which add to the enjoyable feel of the piece.
The moral of the play, one tinged with whimsical irony, seems to be saying that man should not try to bite off more than he can chew and, that he better be careful for what he wishes as he just might get it--as both the show and its final scenes quite nicely prove.
Boeing-Boeing
The Longacre Theatre
220 West 48th Street
Tickets: 212-239-6200, www.telecharage.com or www.BoeingOnBroadway.com
Open Run
Running Time: Approximately Two Hours and 40 Minutes
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication, The Stage.
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