The Broadway Ferret

Image from www.applause-tickets.com

Rating: 5 out of 5 masks

I’ve decided to make this week a two-fer.

Boeing Boeing is a farcical comedy about an American architect living in Paris who juggles three flight attendant fiancees with the help of his maid.  He manages this juggling act by referring to the flight schedules of each flight attendant, which starts not to work so well when one flight is delayed and another arrives earlier than scheduled.  Not exactly helping the situation is a visit from his friend from the states.

The three fiancees are American, Italian and German, in order of appearance.  All three women had different outfits and hairstyles which showed off their distinct personalities.  I had seen the show with the original cast, though I hear the current cast is just as good.  If you almost want to hate Bradley Whitford’s character for lying to all the women, then you’ll love his reaction when his perfect plan goes awry.  Mark Rylance’s character was perfect in terms of befuddlement in reaction to his friend’s situation and attempts at helping him prevent a disaster.

Image from neighborbeeblog.com

I liked the set, which shows a circular living room.  It looked very late 50’s – early 60’s in design.  I don’t know if there’s a specific reason that the living room is shaped the way it is, though my interpretation is that what goes around comes around.  You don’t see the other rooms when the characters go through the doors, so you have to keep track what door is for which room.

I think this show is hilarious, with each scene almost funnier than the next.  The funniest one by far is the introduction of Gretchen, the German flight attendant.  I won’t ruin it, but let’s just say she has the best entrance in the show.  The men’s reactions to certain situations were just as hilarious, though I found them a little over the top.  There is some shouting that happens onstage which makes you wonder if this had happened in real life, wouldn’t the people in the other rooms hear them.  Granted it’s all part of the farce, but if they spent so much trying to keep the play realistic, they should have included the acting.

This show is great for teens and up, especially for men who think they can date more than one woman at a time.  While it may seem to work out, it never lasts.  It’s a good show for fans of comedy, especially farcical comedies.

Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes w/one intermission