CRT Opens Summer Season with BOEING BOEING Tonight

Cortland Repertory Theatre kicks off their 43rd season at the Little York Pavilion in Preble with the theatre's premiere production of the hysterical farce Boeing Boeing, written by French playwright Marc Camoletti, and translated to English by Beverly Cross and Francis Evans. Performances will run from tonight, June 4th - 14th with evening performances at 7:30 PM. Matinees are available on June 6th, 8th and 11th at 2:00 PM. Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-427-6160 or at the CRT Box Office at 24 Port Watson Street in Cortland. Tickets are also available for sale 24 hours a day through the CRT website at www.cortlandrep.org. The GPS address for the Little York Pavilion is 6799 Little York Lake Road in Preble.

In this high-flying, Tony Award winning farce, swinging American bachelor Bernard couldn't be happier: he has a flat in Paris, a booming architectural career and three gorgeous airline stewardesses all engaged to him...without knowing about each other! But his perfect life gets bumpy when his naive college friend Robert comes to visit from Wisconsin and a new, faster Boeing jet throws off his carefully planned schedule of ladies. Unexpectedly, all three stewardesses are home simultaneously, Robert forgets which lovely lady is which, and the door slamming begins! This play was first produced in London in 1962 where it ran for seven years, and is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most produced French play. The 1965 film starred Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis and the 2008 Broadway production won the Tony Award for Best Play Revival.

Boeing Boeing is directed by Dustin Charles, who is in his ninth season with CRT, and returns after directing the 2013 season closer I'll Be Back Before Midnight last August. Charles is well known to the CRT audience as an actor, having appeared in Unnecessary Farce, The Hollow, and The Drawer Boy to name a few. He has also served as Assistant Director and Dialect Coach to a number of CRT productions, including The Ladies Man, A Murder is Announced and Brigadoon.

Playing Bernard is Trent Fucci, who appeared as "the unexpected guest" himself in Agatha Christie's The Unexpected Guest last summer. Also returning to CRT is Leah Gabriel, who plays German stewardess Gretchen. Gabriel is an Australian actress currently living in New York City, who also appeared in Guest last summer. The rest of the cast are making their CRT debuts, including Jeff Long as Robert. Wendy Bagger as French maid Berthe, Tayler Beth Anderson, a recent Syracuse University graduate, playing American stewardess Gloria and Danielle Shimshoni as Italian stewardess Gabrielle.

Stage Manager Laura Krouch, in her third year with CRT, leads a talented production team including Scenic Designer Cully Long, who designed The Unexpected Guest and I'll Be Back Before Midnight last summer. Costume Designer Jimmy Johansmeyer returns for his eleventh year at CRT, and Sound Designer Seth Asa Sengel is in his third CRT year. Lighting Designer Annmarie Dugan and Props Designer Lisa Guild return for their second year, and Assistant Stage Manager Monica Meyer makes her CRT debut. Technical Director Patrick McGovern also returns for his fifth year.

CRT will continue the tradition of "Friday Night Talk Backs" at which a Q & A session with the actors, designers and crew takes place after every Friday evening performance. Tickets are also on sale for all of CRT's summer season, which includes All Shook Up, Les Miserables, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily, Making God Laugh and Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash and the children's show Alice in Wonderland. Visit www.cortlandrep.org for more information about any of the upcoming shows.

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