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50s flight of frivolity: Boeing Boeing in Newbury




New Era Players: Boeing Boeing

at the New Era Theatre, Wash Common

from November 28-30 and December 3-7

Review by TONY TRIGWELL-JONES

New Era Players: Boeing Boeing Pic: Brian Harrington
New Era Players: Boeing Boeing Pic: Brian Harrington

NEW Era’s latest offering is Marc Camoletti’s 50s flight of frivolity Boeing Boeing, an outrageous farce set over the course of a night at Bernard’s bachelor pad.

Bernard maintains a charmed life, with the schedules in and out of Orly airport carefully timetabling his diary with each of his three flight attendant fiancées.

However, the arrival of an old friend, new aircraft engine technology and a storm brewing over the Atlantic, mean his salubrious lifestyle is about to be tipped upside down.

New Era Players: Boeing Boeing Pic: Brian Harrington
New Era Players: Boeing Boeing Pic: Brian Harrington

Adam Wells (Bernard) and Neil Padgen (Robert) both give excellent interpretations of their respective characters, as they enjoy significant moral and emotional journeys.

Wells begins suave and assured, as Bernard extols the virtues of polygamy to Padgen’s nervy and credulous Robert.

New Era Players: Boeing Boeing Pic: Brian Harrington
New Era Players: Boeing Boeing Pic: Brian Harrington

As the action unfolds and Bernard goes to pieces, Wells becomes noticeably rattled and disheveled, while Padgen stands taller and increasingly confident with the opportunities Robert finds himself faced with.

While elements of the play may not have aged so well, the three fiancés remain strong female characters who give their future husband hard times in equal measure.

Each a national stereotype, Gloria (Jo Caruana), Gabriella (Carla Hart) and Gretchen (Lydia Stubbins) are played with well considered characterisation. Caruana is a splendidly brattish Southern Belle, who knows what she wants and how to manipulate Bernard to get it.

Hart’s Gabriella is a kind-hearted and passionate Italian, keeping her Bernard on a short leash. Stubbins’ Gretchen is a force of nature, an enthusiastic, if somewhat intimidating Lufthansa stewardess!

New Era Players: Boeing Boeing Pic: Brian Harrington
New Era Players: Boeing Boeing Pic: Brian Harrington

Trying to hold everything together is malcontented maid Berthe, portrayed with beautiful bafflement by Karen Ashby, who plays the straight woman to excellent effect, as chaos reigns around her.

In the programme notes, director Keith Phillips explains that he selected Boeing Boeing “simply because it is fun.” This is something he draws well from this excellent cast, who are clearly having a blast on stage. There are opportunities to do more here, to ramp up the ridiculous, as well as some potential to modernise elements of France’s most widely performed play in the world.

Boeing-Boeing continues this week at New Era’s delightful theatre in Wash Common.



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