The Colorado Mesa University production of “Boeing-Boeing” delivered laughs from the opening monologue until the conclusion of the curtain call. Even after the last bow was taken the entertainment continued.
The play followed the style of classical farce invented by Plautus, who entertained audiences with improbable situations, verbal humor and wordplay. “Boeing-Boeing” displayed that in addition to perfectly timed slapstick buffoonery.
The play, listed by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1991 as the most performed French play throughout the world, was set in the swinging 60s with costumes very much in tune with the era.
Along with proper attire, great care was taken in regard to color scheme and set design. Piet Mondrian’s forays into neoplasticism served as artistic inspiration for the production, shown through use of three primary colors, in this case, red, blue and yellow, for the set and air hostesses’ uniforms.
The story followed Bernard, an American living in Paris, who maintained engagements with three air hostesses. These women were all oblivious to each other because Bernard kept a detailed schedule of their flights, which assured him that none of them would be in town at the same time. Begrudgingly assisting him in his efforts at a threefold romance was his overwhelmed housekeeper, Berthe. Without Berthe’s tireless efforts, the whole scheme would never have worked.
Bernard’s friend, Robert, travelled from Wisconsin to get settled in Paris himself. Bernard invited him to see how well it worked to be engaged to three different women.
That is when all of Bernard’s well laid plans fell apart. Through unforeseen events, all three women ended up in Paris at the same time. Small-town and socially awkward Robert got caught in the middle and blundered through trying to prevent the women from discovering each other.
Hilarity ensued as Robert was forced to get increasingly outlandish with his lies in order to help Bernard, who at times unwittingly refuted Robert’s efforts. All of his flailing about and exasperated pronunciations kept the audience laughing uproariously.
Keith McKay’s performance as Robert was the brightest spot of an all-around brilliant cast. The way he moved about on stage and enunciated his lines made the story come alive in a manner that made it easy to suspend disbelief and lose oneself in the plot.
Almost as incredibly entertaining was Haley Hines’ portrayal of Gretchen, the German air hostess. When Hines and McKay shared the stage, their talented acting led to a thoroughly enjoyable chemistry and created an environment so rich in comedy that I had difficulty breathing.
The acknowledgement of Hines and McKay is not at all meant to take away from the rest of the cast. Every actor delivered a solid performance. The production carried on CMU’s proud tradition of quality plays, great set design and outstanding casting.
