Studio Tenn at the Factory
Boeing Boeing: Unadulterated, Adulterous Fun
First written for French theater in 1960, Boeing Boeing became one of the most performed French plays in the world. Translated into English, it was eventually adapted into a 1965 film starring Jerry Lewis, and a Broadway revival won several Tonys in 2008.
I was delighted to attend Studio Tenn’s presentation of the show at Turner Theater in the Factory at Franklin. What was a rather empty space when I was in high school has become a bustling building of restaurants and shops, similar in many ways to L&L Market in Nashville. Since this was my first time in Turner Theater, I’ll write for any of my readers who haven’t yet attended a production here.
I attended the media review night, March 18th. After easily finding parking in the Factory’s free lot, we walked to one of the varied restaurants (my husband and I went to Two Hands, whose croquettes are amazing), then walked across the food court to the theater. A perfect pairing, and so convenient to not have to deal with downtown parking. Except for the drive down to Franklin, Turner Theater at the Factory is easily the most date-friendly theater location in the Nashville area (check out the food options).
The theater itself is recently renovated and seats several hundred. The stage is uncurtained, but I hesitate to call it a black box theater because of the large set. Before even sitting down I was impressed with Andrew Cohen and Brandon Roak’s scenic design for the play: the large set is a beautiful Parisian mid-century modern apartment, full of details: the walls are wainscotted, there is fun geometric wallpaper, perfectly placed plants and knicknacks, and six frequently-used doors leading to bathroom, kitchen, and bedrooms.
This literally set the stage for my expectations, and Studio Tenn did not disappoint. Boeing Boeing is hilarious. Bernard is an American living in Paris, who is simultaneously engaged to three flight attendants. When his old friend Robert from Wisconsin comes to visit, he proudly tells him all about his time management system that ensures his various fiancees never learn about each other. Bernard’s cook, Berthe, is frustrated with the constant changes to the menu that his deception requires. Things start to go wrong as the new speed of the new Boeing aircraft and a storm changes each fiancee’s flight schedule. If you’re familiar with the Frasier episode, “The Ski Lodge,” this has much of the same comedic energy and sexual tension. I was curious if twentieth-century sexism would hamper the humor, but it all still works. The few moments where a male character does something perhaps not ideal, a female character gives him an equally flawed comeuppance. Infidelity is so cheerfully light-hearted in this play, it reminded me of the utter amorality of Algernon and others in The Importance of Being Earnest. One period-specific aspect of the play is the sheer quantity of alcohol the characters help themselves to throughout the show. I’m not one given to craving a drink, but by the time they finished an entire bottle of scotch, I was longing for a glass of whiskey. I did see a lot of the audience reappear in the theater holding cocktails at the end of intermission, so there’s an easy fix.
Boeing Boeing is chock full of fast-paced dialogue and requires precise timing. The entire cast is amazing. Geoffrey Davin is cast as Bernard, but the night I attended Bernard was played by Dustin Davis, who made his character boyishly conceited in a balanced way, allowing the audience to be happy to see his dishonest setup disintegrate, but without causing us to hate him. Robert is my favorite role, played masterfully by Brian Michael Jones. He has the ability to make tiny gestures hilarious, and perfectly tailors his awkward interactions with everyone, his inept flirting, his delivery of “So I’m a bastard, am I?” to get big audience laughs. Rachel Agee is Berthe, the cook with attitude, the sort of character everyone loves because she says exactly what she thinks. Her heavy french accent adds to her delivery, and her disdain for Bernard and everyone else gives the comedy a rational baseline. Her final line, “Idiots,” had the entire show end in laughter. Each fiancee is the embodiment of a national stereotype: Gloria the American has tasteless food choices (pancakes and ketchup) and New York aggression. Mariah Parris gives her a vigorous humor and an ability to successfully challenge the men. Jordan Tudor is the weirdly romantic and excessively precise German Gretchen, and her intense expressions and physical command of the stage make her especially hilarious. Annabelle Fox is Gabriella, the passionate Italian, who bosses Bernard around like a diva. Each character is funny on their own, but the complex confusion that this ensemble cast engages in is so well done that the humor grows exponentially.
The entire production is a treat: The costumes are vibrant and fun, each flight attendant color-coded and each woman with a variety of other outfits. This show is Megan Murphy Chambers’ first time directing for Studio Tenn, and she has done a marvelous job. Every layer of work put into the show is successful and makes for a light comedy about infidelity that somehow makes for a perfect date. You should absolutely go see Studio Tenn’s Boeing Boeing.
Boeing Boeing is at The Factory’s Turner Theater through April 4. See Studio Tenn’s website for tickets and more information.
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A Nashville native and MTSU graduate, Grace Krenz is a reader, a writer, and an arts enthusiast. She lives in Nashville with her husband and two children.
