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Boeing Boeing by Marc Camelotti

Directed by Keith Swinford

Bernard has solved his mating problems for ever, by engaging himself to no less than 3 girls at the same time. All air hostesses of course, allowing for one to be in the departure lounge at the same time as one hits arrivals, and the third in the air. What could possibly go wrong?

Well there’s a new, faster aircraft for starters, to say nothing of bad weather, and the jet stream, which inevitably means that all three girls end up in his upmarket, Paris flat at the same time, (in different rooms, of course). Fortunately, along comes Bernard’s old friend, Robert, to help him out.

Badly put upon and completely out of his depth, Robert tries desperately to hold the situation together. Meanwhile, air hostesses being air hostesses, at least one, if not all, have fallen in love with Robert anyway, making the whole situation unbearable for Bernard.

The whole shooting match eventually sorts itself out to everyone’s satisfaction, but not until those doors have been slammed at least several thousand times.

The Bishops Cleeve Players presented aviation farce Boeing Boeing at the Cheltenham Playhouse. But were hysterical punters reaching for their oxygen masks, or did the emergency lights come on before they'd even left the runway?

Notoriously difficult to do well, French farce is to subtlety what creosote is to clotted cream, but for anyone after two hours of honest escapism, this was an entertaining presentation of 1960s screwball comedy Boeing Boeing. Making only limited demands on the intellect, Marc Camoletti's script is unlikely ever to soar into the stratosphere, much less stand the test of time, especially in the form of Beverley Cross' heavily clichéd translation. It will survive long enough, however, to be wittily representative of a time when itinerant Lotharios had the proverbial girl in every port, and the inevitable complications fostered by such a philandering lifestyle.

Gigolo architect Bernard happily strings along with an air hostess from three different airlines whose respective schedules should ensure that their working paths do not cross, which inevitably proves a forlorn hope. As the girlies whizz past each other far too closely for Bernard's comfort, at the eye of the storm is his obstreperous and overworked housemaid Bertha, of whom Susan Bilbey stars in a delightful, show-stealing performance, along with Rachel Prudden's coolly seductive portrayal of French trolley dolly Jacqueline. Relentless Director Keith Swinford's spirited band of cosmopolitans perform gamely to bring this anachronistic yarn to life, as the multitudinous doors on his splendidly designed set swing open with relentless rapidity, at least when Bernard and his excitable old school chum Robert aren't desperately trying to keep them shut and prevent the stewardesses from discovering each other's existence.

Some of the accents take a while to acquire an authentic ring, as well as occasionally compromising the clarity of the dialogue, but Mike Fuller certainly brings some punch to the role of opportunist Robert. In the meantime, rather too many arms and upturned hands extend like aircraft wings in the dreaded am-dram fashion, but the sustained humour keeps this enjoyable nonsense airborne, especially when all the three stewardesses finally converge on Bernard's apartment.

Boeing Boeing may never rank with the most refined or intelligent of stage plays, but on its own unassuming merits it still provides a fun night out, and passengers in the audience are ultimately offered an agreeable in-flight movie.