Review: AIRNESS at Contemporary Theater Company

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about air guitar? Now try to imagine a national championship with actual stage performances and musical accompaniment. Who would ever do such a thing—and why?

Chelsea Marcantel’s delightful, uplifting play, “Airness,” now at Contemporary Theater Company, introduces a quintessential motley crew of air guitar enthusiasts who give new meaning to the phrase ‘serious pretend’ and help each other—as well as the audience—better understand why they pursue this seemingly ridiculous yet rewarding creative outlet.

Under the concise direction of Tammy Brown, this colorful cast of misfits includes D Vicious (Patrick Weber), Golden Thunder (Tylar Jahumpa), Shreddy Eddy (Brayden Fanti), Facebender (Devon Andrews), and Cannibal Queen (Sonny Wong). Their close-knit community is disrupted when in walks in Nina (Rebecca Magnotta), an actual guitar player, who casually and callously enters the competition just to see what all the fuss is about.

When Nina freezes on stage during her sixty-second premiere, the sympathetic, supportive gang invites them into their circle. Her presence is welcome, especially by Eddy, and even though she has a history with Vicious and locks horns with her female counterpart, Cannibal Queen, Nina soon proudly calls these random folks her friends.

While the basis of the play is competitive air guitar—hence the title and the characters’ stage names—at its heart, “Airness” is a touching, highly entertaining portrait of friendship, camaraderie, loyalty and artistic expression. The performances are ultimately what make the show so inspiring and each of the cast members so lovable.

Fanti is ferociously charming as the resident historian, Shreddy Eddy; Andrews is adorable as the long-haired, thrusting Facebender, whose backstory tugs at your heartstrings; Jahumpa gives arguably the most endearing, expressive performance as Golden Thunder, and Wong is equally eloquent and intimidating as Cannibal Queen.

Weber perfectly portrays the smarmy albeit charismatic sellout, Vicious, and Neil Motta delivers laughs and excitement aplenty as the overzealous announcer.

Magnotta’s exquisite portrayal of “The Nina” is an immersive combination of angst, allure, and vulnerability, and kudos for her clever, constructive scenic design that brings the dive bar atmosphere (and air guitar subculture) to life on the CTC stage.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the nostalgic, crowd-pleasing soundtrack—alone worth the cost of admission—that includes infectious guitar riffs from Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses, and other familiar favorites. I had no idea what to expect with this production, and while I’m invariably impressed with CTC, “Airness” is a must-see that sets the bar high for the upcoming summer season.

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