Reviewed by Dr. Tiffany Knight Raymond, PhD
South Park’s production of Marc Camoletti’s 1960 play, Boeing, Boeing, is a madcap farce that flies faster than the new Boeing jet that uproots the careful timetables Bernard (Johnny Terreri) has constructed his life around.
Director Jeanie Cygrymus leans into cheeky humor from the outset. The typical pre-show voiceovers about silencing one’s phone and emergency exits are given in the format of a pre-flight safety briefing as if we’re all aboard an aircraft. Thankfully, the journey is free of turbulence, at least for the audience, who gets plenty of opportunity to laugh out loud witnessing Bernard’s relationship hijinks.
Terreri brings a casual, ne’er-do-well confidence to Bernard, a Parisian playboy juggling three fiancées. Each one is an “air hostess” for a different international airline. All three of their names start with G, which Bernard proudly notes makes it easier for monogramming and that “fiancées are much friendlier than wives.”
The other male cast member is Robert (Brent Feitl), a friend of Bernard’s from Wisconsin who visits unexpectedly. Thanks to Cygrymus’ steadfast direction, Feitl’s initial country mouse vibes quickly fall away as he becomes an unwitting co-conspirator in managing misadventures with the fiancée trio.
Since Bernard juggles three fiancées, the views we get of them are superficial, as seen through his lens. The first fiancée we meet is Gloria (Carina Iannarelli). Iannarelli captures the confident, hair-tossing American whose red lipstick is as vibrant as her TWA uniform. Thanks to dialect coach Lisa Bansavage, Amanda Weber’s Italian accent never wavers as Gabriella from Atitalia Airlines, and Weber embodies fiery Italian beauty. Completing the fiancée trio is Lufthansa’s German air hostess, Gretchen (Jess Uhler). Uhler brings a no-nonsense, high-caliber German intensity to all of Gretchen’s actions.
Costume designer Casey Ciocco-Thompson keeps it simple for Bernard – and the audience – by relegating each fiancée’s wardrobe to the signature colors of her corresponding airline. Between TWA red, Atitalia blue, and Lufthansa yellow, the three women also represent the three primary colors. Interestingly, Ciocco-Thompson costumes both men in green.
There is one mainstay lady in Bernard’s life, his French housekeeper, Berthe (Stacey Rosleck). Rosleck imbues Berthe with exaggerated facial expressions that speak volumes. At the same time, she dutifully changes out framed photos and makes sure to purvey and serve the correct foods for each rotating lady of the house.
The fiancées are country-level stereotypes for Berthe. Gloria loves ketchup, which Berthe witheringly refers to as “red stuff,” while Gretchen requires sauerkraut. In keeping with Ciocco-Thompson’s differentiated color palette, Berthe is costumed in black and white, an outward marker of her disparaging view of Bernard’s life in the gray.
Berthe often refers to the fiancées by their countries with phrases like “America is flying out.” Bernard keeps it simple and strategic. His generically saccharine endearment of “darling” applies to all three, so he can’t go awry, regardless of which G he’s with.
The play’s comedic delights are structured around the anticipation, subsequent waver, and inevitable fall of Bernard’s carefully constructed house of cards. Set designer April Beiswenger makes the living room of Bernard’s flat singularly 60s with its mustard-colored sofa bookended by mid-century modern chairs. Beiswenger amps up the comedy with seven doors off of the living room. Thanks to Cygrymus’ Swiss-clock precision timing, seven holds as a lucky number, but no lucky number holds forever. The effortless timing of the doors opening and closing is heart-racing. Unlike the air hostess fiancée’s, the audience is in on the narrow escapes from discovery and experiences breathless moments as Bernard and Robert try to stave off mayhem.
Lest one fear the play’s plot line is dated, Camoletti’s play represents a 1960s version of today. 21st-century dating apps enable multiple relationships with more ease than the book of flight timetables Bernard must endlessly consult. In fact, one feels Bernard would surely thrive juggling multiple profiles and matches across Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble.
Buckle up, get to South Park, and see this lovable, laughable romp before it’s Boeing, Boeing gone!
-TKR, Ph.D.
South Park Theatre’s production of Boeing, Boeing runs through August 29, 2026, at South Park Theatre, South Park Township, PA 15129. Purchase tickets online here.
