Hedgerow Theatre to Present BOEING BOEING, 7/7-8/21

Audiences are advised to fasten their seatbelts and be prepared to laugh themselves silly as Boeing Boeing, this year's summer farce at Hedgerow Theatre, takes off from July 7 to August 21.

French playwright Marc Camelotti's comedy, the most performEd French play in the world, premiered in 1960 in Paris and ran there for 19 years. The English translation by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans opened in London in 1962, where it played for seven years, and in New York in 1965. A 2007 revival in the West End was nominated for two Olivier Awards, and the 2008 Broadway production was nominated for multiple Tony Awards, winning for Best Revival of a Play and Best Actor in a Play Mark Rylance.

As any farce should, Boeing Boeing features unwitting characters dealing with improbable situations that escalate to ridiculous levels, with lots of double entendres, physical comedy and general hilarity along the way. It takes place in the 1960s in the Paris apartment of American businessman Bernard, a playboy who is "engaged" to three gorgeous airline hostesses: Gloria, an American, works for TWA; Gabriella, an Italian, is with Air Italia; and Gretchen, a German, flies with Lufthansa. By keeping meticulous track of their different schedules, he's able to juggle their arrivals and departures so none of them learn about the others, with the help of his grumpy, long-suffering maid Berthe. During a visit from an old college friend, Robert, from Wisconsin, Bernard's perfect flight plan is thrown off course into severe turbulence when weather delays and changes in timetables bring all three women to Paris at the same time.

Summer farce audience regulars will recognize a number of familiar faces returning from previous year's shows. Andrew Parcell (Run For Your Wife, The 39 Steps) plays Bernard. Hedgerow Fellow Mark Swift, who wowed audiences last summer in No Sex Please, We're British, is once again the comic foil as Robert. Meredith Beck, the beleaguered newlywed in No Sex Please, is Gloria; and Fellow Allison Bloechl (No Sex Please, Bullshot Crummond) plays Gretchen.

Also in the cast are two newcomers to Hedgerow. Portraying Gabriella is Hanna Gaffney, a BFA graduate in acting from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, who has performed at several Philadelphia venues since arriving in town last fall. Trice Baldwin, who plays Berthe, is a founding member of the Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company, and has also acted at numerous local theatres, including The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, Curio Theatre Company, Luna Theater Company and People's Light & Theatre Company.

Damon Bonetti, cofounder of the Philadelphia Artists Collective, is happy to be back for his third farce in a row as director.

Adult ticket prices for Friday, Saturday evening and Sunday shows are $34; Saturday twilight shows are $29. There is a $3 discount for seniors. Tickets for those 30 and under and students are $20. Tickets for the previews on July 7 and 8 are $20. For groups of 10 or more, tickets are $18. Prices include all fees and are subject to change.

For reservations or more info, call 610-565-4211 or visit www.HedgerowTheatre.org. Hedgerow Theatre is located at 64 Rose Valley Road in Rose Valley (near Media).

Photo by Ashley LaBonde

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