Non-Stop Bedroom Farce BOEING BOEING to Land at TAM Next Month

Marc Camoletti's swinging 60's sex farce Boeing Boeing takes off at Theater at Monmouth Thursday, September 15th at 7:30 p.m. Savvy Parisian architect, Bernard, devises an ingenious system for juggling three fiancées: until a new speedier aircraft is put into service. Schedules change, flights are delayed, and chaos ensues in this whirl of mayhem, matchmaking, and madness. Fasten your seat belts it's going to be a riotously raucous ride!

The plot itself is as improbable as an on-time departure from JFK-Bernard, an architect living in Paris in the swinging 60's successfully juggles three air hostess fiancées (one American, one Italian, and one German) while his long-suffering housekeeper Bertha plays romantic air-traffic controller-swapping the appropriate photos and meals to match the incoming fiancée. But when the when the airlines put the new, state-of-the-art Boeing jet into service, Bernard's life goes into free-fall. Most alarming for Bernard, his three fiancées all touch down in Paris at the same time.

Boeing-Boeing, translated for the English-speaking stage by Beverly Cross, originally opened in London in 1962 and held the world record for the longest-running comedy in the West End, playing over 2,000 performances for more than seven years. It transferred to Broadway for a brief 23-performance run in 1965, but later took off as a licensable property in theatres around the U.S. In 1991, the play was listed in the Guinness World Book of Records as the most performEd French play throughout the world. A film version starring Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis was made in 1965.

The play won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2008 in a production the New York Times described as "This play named for an aircraft soars right out of its time zone and into some unpolluted stratosphere of classic physical comedy. Propelled by the same gusty spirit that animated Commedia dell'Arte and the silent films of Keaton, Chaplin, and Lloyd."

Directed by Dawn McAndrews, Boeing, Boeing features Christopher Holt as Bernard (a Parisian architect and lothario); Michael Dix Thomas as Robert (Bernard's old school chum from the provinces); Wendy Way as Berthe (Bernard's housekeeper); Lisa Woods as Gloria (the American, TWA air hostess); Ally Farzetta as Gabriela (the Italian, Alitalia air hostess), and Lindsay Tornquist as Greta (the German, Lufthansa air hostess). Set design by Jim Alexander, lighting design by Daniel Brodhead, costume design by Elizabeth Rocha, and sound design by Rew Tippin.

Performance Calendar: PREVIEW 9/15 at 7:30 p.m.; OPENING 9/16 at 7:30 p.m.; additional performance dates 9/17, 9/22, 9/23, 9/24 at 7:30 p.m.; 9/17, 9/18, 9/24, 9/25 at 1:00 p.m. . Educators receive 20% off tickets for opening night with a photo ID at the Box Office. Ticket prices range from $20-$32. For patrons under 30, twenty $10 Rush Tickets are available at each performance in the season. Tickets will be released to the first 20 people on the list ten minutes before curtain. Discounts available for groups of 10 or more. For calendar and reservations, please contact the TAM Box Office at 207.933.9999 or visit www.theateratmonmouth.org.

Theater at Monmouth, founded in 1970, was named the Shakespearean Theater of Maine by the State Legislature in 1975. The theatre's mission is to present innovative approaches to Shakespeare and other classic plays through professional productions that enrich the lives of people throughout Maine. Since its founding, TAM has produced expertly crafted, engaging productions in its three-month Summer Repertory Season entertaining audiences from 36 states and through Education Tours annually reaching more than 15,000 students statewide.

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