The boisterous comedy “Boeing Boeing” will take off this spring as the latest production in the Hampton Theatre Company’s landmark 40th season. Performances run March 13 through March 30 at Quogue Community Hall. The production will be the 135th in the history of the HTC, which has delivered a wide variety of comedies, dramas and musicals to East End audiences since its founding in 1984.
A madcap farce written by French playwright Marc Camoletti and translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans, “Boeing Boeing” has a 1960s-era sensibility centered on an inveterate bachelor and self-styled Lothario named Bernard who lives in a Paris flat with his opinionated housekeeper, Berthe. As the curtain rises, Bernard is engaged to not one, not two, but three airline flight attendants at the same time.
Life gets bumpy when Bernard’s longtime friend, Robert, comes to stay and complications like weather delays and speedier jets threaten to disrupt Bernard’s carefully planned romantic schedule with his Italian (Gabriella), German (Gretchen) and American (Gloria) fiancées. Slamming doors, frantic entrances and exits and a seemingly endless series of close calls and preposterous alibis highlight this raucous, fast-paced period play.
The original London production of “Boeing Boeing” debuted in February 1962 and racked up more than 2,000 performances over seven years. A successful run on Broadway followed in February 1965 and a London revival was staged in 2007. A New York revival featuring Kathryn Hahn, Bradley Whitford, Mark Rylance and Gina Gershon won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.
The many productions of “Boeing Boeing” on both sides of the pond have won over both audiences and critics. In 1991, “Boeing Boeing” was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most-performed French play throughout the world.
Born in Geneva, Marc Camoletti soared to the forefront of the French theater scene in 1958, when three of his plays were presented simultaneously in Paris. The first, “La Bonne Anna,” ran for 1,300 performances and was produced around the world. “Boeing Boeing,” written in 1960, was an even bigger success, and became Camoletti’s signature show. A later comedy, “Pyjama Pour Six,” was adapted for English-speaking audiences as “Don’t Dress for Dinner,” which ran for six years in London and opened on Broadway in 2012. The Hampton Theatre Company mounted a production of “Don’t Dress for Dinner” in its 2017-18 season.
The cast of HTC’s “Boeing Boeing” includes HTC veteran Molly Brennan (“A Doll’s House, Part 2”) as Gabriella. Making their first appearances in an HTC production are Kevin Russo as Bernard, Jill Linden as Berthe, Jason Moreland as Robert, Samm Jenny as Gloria and Emily Vaeth as Gretchen.
The play is directed by Catherine Clyne, who is also making her HTC debut after helming numerous plays at Playcrafters Theatre Company in Bellport, including recent productions of “The 39 Steps” and “The Tin Woman.” George Loizides is the producer. Set design is by Joe Kenny; lighting design by Sebastian Paczynski; and costumes by Teresa Lebrun.
Performances of “Boeing Boeing” run March 13 through March 30 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and on Sundays at 2:30 p.m. An additional matinee will be offered on Saturday, March 29, at 2:30 p.m. in addition to the regular 7 p.m. performance that evening. Two “talkbacks” with the cast will follow the March 21 and March 28 performances.
Tickets are $40 ($36 for seniors), $25 for students 25 and under, and $30 for veterans and Native Americans at hamptontheatre.org or 631-653-8955. Quogue Community Hall is at 125 Jessup Avenue in Quogue.
Staff Writer on Feb 24, 2025