The Chattanooga Theatre Centre gets delightfully farcical
If you are now or ever have been engaged, then you know how it can sometimes be difficult to juggle a fiancé, plan a wedding, and handle work and other day to day tasks.
However, if you’re smart, you only have one fiancé at a time, and that’s where you differ from the main character of the Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s upcoming production of “Boeing-Boeing”, which opens Friday night at 8 p.m.
“Boeing-Boeing” is a 1960’s French farce comedy about Bernard, a man who lives in Paris and has the genius idea that he can juggle three fiancés (all of whom are airline hostesses on different international flights) at one time. And that is where Bernard is wrong.
The Chattanooga Theatre Centre’s production is directed by Rodney Van Valkenburg, who is also a director at ArtsBuild, and features a cast of six seasoned performers. “[The fiancés] are all air hostesses, and we’re setting this in 1968, so it’s kind of a retro piece. So, they’re all international flights; one works as an American, one is from Italy, and one is from Germany,” Van Valkenburg explained.
“So [Bernard] has it all figured out that either someone is going to be on land, across the globe, and somebody will be in the air, and then somebody will be in his apartment,” Van Valkenburg said. “What could go wrong? So that’s where the comic theme is, even though it of course goes disastrously. And then their flights get cancelled, and they’re going on faster jet services coming up, so they’re coming in faster, and that’s turning all of his plans awry.”
In regards to Bernard’s plans going awry, it all starts to go downhill when his friend Robert comes to visit. Bernard attempts to make himself look cool by showing off his three fiancés, all of whom have no idea the other exists. However, Robert becomes a bit too interested in Bernard’s situation, and it’s a downward spiral from there.
“This guy seems like a hip-happening kind of guy, but you have to stop and think, he’s not very smart. He even gives them all keys, which is also kind of silly,” Van Valkenburg explained. “So his friend comes to visit, and they really haven’t seen each other in almost 20 years, so the playboy is kind of showing off this whole arrangement to his old buddy, and he becomes almost fascinated by it.
“There’s also a maid that is kind of put upon to help juggle all these women and make sure the apartment is changed and fixed, so they don’t realize who was here.”
Van Valkenburg explained that the concept of a farce, in regards to “Boeing-Boeing”, is that it’s a sex comedy with undulating humor and the uncomfortable situations of people trying to deceive each other. One aspect of a farce that’s crucial to the plot of “Boeing-Boeing” is that there are lots of doors, in which people are constantly coming in and out.
“This is kind of an old fashioned comedy, but technically speaking, the hardest thing about this show is that you have six doors, and so, they construct them so they slam and so they move independently without making the set all wobbly,” said Van Valkenburg. “So you have a professional staff who actually knows how to do all these things. So there’s a little technology behind that, not projections and all that; but there’s definitely some skill in putting this together.”
The Theatre Centre is going to be performing the 2008 Broadway revival of “Boeing-Boeing”, written by Marc Camoletti. Van Valkenburg said there aren’t any major differences from the original; however, the girls have different names, and there’s a bit more physical comedy for modern audiences.
The cast started rehearsals in April, and Van Valkenburg said they’ve had a good six weeks of rehearsals. He also said that the cast has been extremely dedicated and hard-working; it’s great to have a pool of so many talented and passionate performers at the Theatre Centre.
“Hopefully the audience will leave thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s the most fun I’ve had in the theatre in so long,’ nothing against anything else. But just to have a flat out comedy; that’s why we put the music in from the sixties, so it becomes a throwback,” Van Valkenburg said. “So I hope it has that kind of party feel. It’s just a good time and a good, entertaining evening out.”
“Boeing-Boeing” opens Friday night at 8 p.m. and runs through Sunday, June 24. There will be evening shows Thursdays-Saturdays and matinee shows on Sundays.
The performance will be held in the Circle K Theatre to provide a more intimate and humorous experience. However, seating is limited, so reservations are recommended. If you’re looking for a comedic summer theatre experience, then that hope is guaranteed to take flight with “Boeing Boeing”.