“Boeing Boeing,” a glamorous play set in the 1960’s, is full of shenanigans, hilarity and is the perfect study break during midterms madness. The UP Theater Department chose “Boeing Boeing” as one of their four fall plays to balance out the more political and serious issues that the department will tackle in later productions.
The comedy revolves around the character Bernard, played by junior Kai Hynes, and his three fianceés, played by sophomore Haley Hamilton, junior Aurora Hernandez and junior Maddie Ngyuen. None of the women know about each other, so chaos ensues when all three fiancees end up in his flat at the same time. With the help of his friend, Robert, played by junior Sam Baldwin, and his maid Berthe, played by senior Emily Hogan, Bernard attempts to keep the women from finding out the truth.
The original show was written in French by Marc Camoletti, first performed in 1960. It was later translated to English by Beverley Cross, so it could run in London. Ten years ago, the British version of the play was performed on Broadway.
The cast of "Boeing Boeing" does a dress rehearsal the night before the first show.
The play is quick-paced, and a large part of the humor is the timing and rhythm of the performance, according to Maddie Nguyen, a junior cast member.
“We have people coming out of doors just as people walk out of them, characters changing their body language and faces on the stop of a dime,” Nguyen said.
While the play is sure to make the audience laugh, the comedic elements of the play also touch on deeper themes about human nature.
“There is something great about exploring how ridiculous we are as human beings,” Andrew Golla, fine arts professor and director, said.
Beyond the sheer fun, Golla said the main focus of the play is about “pursuing what we think we want, versus what’s right in front of us.”
“I encourage everyone who comes to see the show to laugh at what they think is funny, and then ask themselves why that is funny in the first place,” Hogan said.
Junior Kai Hynes and junior Sam Baldwin rehearse a scene together.
The show runs from Wednesday Oct. 3 to Saturday Oct. 6 with 7:30 p.m. showtimes. The last show is a matinee on Sunday Oct. 7 at 2:00 p.m.
The box office opened on Monday Sept. 24 and tickets are still available for purchase. On Wednesday and Thursday night, students get free admission with a valid student I.D. and can reserve tickets ahead of time at the box office. Tickets for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows cost $5 for students. For non-students, tickets are $10.
“It is a fun, funny, crazy play that has this really nice, satisfying ending,” Golla said. “Expect people to do stupid and ridiculous things, and yet figure it out in the end.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said Robert is the main character of 'Boeing Boeing.' The main character is Bernard, played by junior Kai Hynes.
Emmy Davis is a reporter at The Beacon. She can be reached at davisem22@up.edu.
