San Diego Theater Review: BOEING-BOEING (Coronado Playhouse in Coronado)

IT IS A FARCE FARCE BETTER THING THEY DO…

Boeing-Boeing — the delicious comedic confection currently gracing the Coronado Playhouse stage — soars to hilarious heights as it buoyantly brings to life that most demanding of theatrical genres: the frenetic French bedroom farce.

Brilliantly headed by the show’s leading player, James Lamberti as Robert, the wallflower about to bloom, this comically gifted cast infuses the fanciful charade with enough theatrical bravado and belly laughs to fill a fleet of Boeing 747s.   And just how farcical is this story?   Check it out.

It’s the 1960s and swinging Parisian bachelor Bernard (Robert Nixon) has a problem.   In fact, three problems — his fiancées: Gloria (wacky Alyssa Schecher), Gabriella (spit-fire Rachel Bishop) and Gretchen (the superbly funny Lena M. Jones in a standout performance).   All are beautiful stewardesses for TWA, Alitalia and Lufthansa respectively.   Bernard’s kept the ladies secret from each other by coordinating his clandestine game of musical beds via his trusty international flight schedule.   Thus far, the schedule has worked and allowed him to speed date the air-hostess to his three-timing heart’s content.   Until the introduction of the new, faster Boeing jets.   Now, despite Bernard’s best “laid” plans, his trio of tightly uniformed lovelies have all unexpectedly landed in his playboy Paris flat (first-class set design by Raylene J. Wall) on the same day as his provincial boyhood friend (Lamberti).   The result is two non-stop acts chockfull of slamming doors, mistaken identities, misplaced undies, stolen kisses and near misses as the cast plays the modern world’s ever-accelerating game of love.

Written in 1960 by Marc Camoletti, (and translated/adapted by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans), Boeing-Boeing is the one of theatre’s most-produced farces; recognized as a well-crafted, light-hearted romp revolving around the foibles of five singles and Bernard’s disapproving maid, Berthe (the dead-pan and dead-on Holly Stephenson) who begrudgingly assists her employer in juggling his high-flying harem.   A rom-com on steroids, Boeing-Boeing is always fun to watch.

But what makes this particular Boeing truly take flight is the richly nuanced, broad but believable performance of Lamberti.   With the wide-eyed look of a kid in a candy store, Robert is swept into his promiscuous pal’s fantasy (three girlfriends!) only to watch it rapidly disintegrate into fiasco (three girlfriends?) — with uproarious results.   His shared scenes with the very talented Lena M. Jones provide tons of flirtatious fun.     A nimble comic actor, Lamberti effortlessly takes Robert’s character from sublime to slap-stick (his physical antics as he struggles to move a mountain of suitcases is a hoot).   Lamberti’s whimsical yet honest portrayal of a young man’s first ride in love’s fast lane is the theatrical glue that keeps this potentially cartoony plot together.

Smartly directed by Rob Conway, who orchestrated the energetic cast into a symphony of sexual satire, this production is the perfect date play; ideal to see with someone you love as it joyously reminds us that when it comes to affairs of the heart, the pursuit is half the fun.

photos  courtesy of Coronado Playhouse

Boeing-Boeing
Coronado Playhouse
1835 Strand Way in Coronado
Thurs-Sat at 8; Sun at 2
scheduled to end on May 3, 2015
for tickets, call 619.435.4856 or visit www.coronadoplayhouse.com