Every now and then the wife and I actually get to leave the house while its still dark out, leaving the kids behind for an evening out. This is what happens.
Theatergoing has gotten so expensive ($100+ per ticket for a full-price Broadway show) that it can be tough to justify the purchase. "Macbeth", which we paid close to full price for, was not even remotely worth the money, sadly. "Jersey Boys" was so much fun that I would go back and pay full price a second time (really, it's great.) "Boeing-Boeing", now playing at the Longacre (220 West 48th Street), isn't quite as good as "Jersey Boys" but it was a lot of fun, especially at the relative bargain price I found using a discount code from BroadwayBox.com (similar codes can be found at nytheatre.com, Theatermania, Playbill and BroadwayWorld.)
This is a revival of a play from the 1960's; the pre-show music, featuring popular 60's pop songs sung in French, is a nice bonus. Refreshingly, there is no revising of the attitudes, which are playfully retrograde and yes, sexist -- but that's how they wrote 'em back then. It's impossible to take anything that happens in the play seriously, which is a good thing. The plot deals with an American living in Paris and juggling three women, all of whom are his fiancée. How does he physically accomplish this feat? Because all are "air hostesses" for different airlines. He consults a timetable like the Bible, marking his calendar and tightly scheduling visits from each lovely airborne lass.
The cast is a big reason why the show works: Bradley Whitford ('West Wing', 'Studio 60') is probably the weakest link, but he's more than good enough. Mark Rylance is brilliant as the friend who arrives unexpectedly. Gina Gershon is funny and sexy as Whitford's Italian bride-to-be, and Kathryn Hahn is your basic loud-mouthed Ugly American who has a sequence in the second act that almost steals the show. That honor, though, goes to Mary McCormack (aka Howard Stern's Movie Wife), playing a German Lufthansa "hostess". McCormack plays everything for broad laughs, and the stage lights up every time she's on it. Hopefully she'll do more comedy in the future because she's the funniest thing in a very funny show. (She received a well-deserved Tony nomination.) Christine Baranski has the smallest role as the long-suffering French housekeeper. She's brilliant as always whenever she's on stage but it's not really her play.
"Boeing-Boeing" runs a little bit long at 2 hours and 40 minutes, but for a light-hearted evening out of adult entertainment, it fits the bill. Highly recommended.
image: boeingonbroadway.com
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