Boeing Boeing

by Marc Camoletti, Beverley Cross, Francis Evans

M2 F4 Revived in the West End in 2007, Boeing-Boeing is a 1960s French farce adapted for the English-speaking stage. Self-styled Parisian lothario Bernard has three fiancees, each beautiful airline hostesses with frequent layovers. There's American Gloria, German Gretchen and Italian Gabriella. He keeps one up, one down and one pending until unexpected schedule changes bring all three to Paris and his apartment at the same time. Bernard's old school friend Robert, a visitor from the provinces, and his housekeeper Bertha, attempt to diffuse the inevitable chaos.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Humor, Fiction, France, Comedy

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

Reviews

[Carlo Hublet]

Encore des anciens souvenirs de lecture, retrouvés dans mes multiples et disparates notes! Camoletti, le boulevard à l'état pur, avec ses placards pleins d'amants ou de maîtresses, m'a permis de passer agréablement de fastidieux déplacements aériens. Facile à lire et en même temps fort plaisant et délassant. J'ai même été voir plusieurs de ses pièces jouées au théâtre.

[Erika]

I'm playing Gloria onstage at Bremerton Community Theatre every weekend in February! Love this show; it's super fast paced with lots of physical comedy.

[pauline ☾]

tekst zabawny, ale spektakl był nieziemski

[ashley g]

a 3 act psa for monogamy !

[Liz]

Tad dated and tries too hard with swapping of lovers. Sure costuming and set would be great but … the story bored me fast / quite predictable too. I found I liked the maid Bertha best of all and she’s intermittently in scenes.

I recommend picking up Shakespeare one like MUCH ADO or AS YOU LIKE IT instead or
find a different comedy script from say This century with mistake in identities or such to produce..

[Sydney Young]

Farce-seems like it would be funny on stage but I hate reading farces.

[John Geddie]

It's a 1960s (revived in 2008). A guy visits his buddy in Paris and learns that he's been juggling three women, possibly because all three are stewardesses on different airlines.

I like a risqué comedy as much as the next guy, but I don't think that the script has held up. And the kinda casual misogyny doesn't really play without a bigger conclusion that what it's got. In general, it's a script really dependent on the talent of your performers. I'm sure it could be funny, but there are shows with better bones to them.

Single set/interior with lots of doors
2m/4f

[Sandra]

i read this with my fellow members of a play reading group i belong to. i wasnt sure at first but once we got into it i really enjoyed the whole farce of it. Although maybe of its time, it could still be done today. As was explained to me, farce is very hard to pull off for an actor, and even reading the play i was trying to imagine an actor playing Bernard and his friend Robert in particular, and trying to visualise the way it would have been performed

[PC]

(4.8)

I found this play so funny! The translation was well-written and very witty. At moments, I felt like the smooth writing was similar to an American sitcom. The only reason this was was not a 5.0, was because the plot dragged at some moments. I think the resolution should have come sooner. I will say Berthe was hilarious and her constantly raising her raise!

[Michael]

A script that won a Tony award for best revival of a play6 in 2008 does not need endorsement from me. Neither would it harmed if I didn't like it.

I didn't. It was a run-of-the-mill farce. I was asked to direct it locally, so I read it. I think I am going to turn it down.

And that's that.

[Mary]

Serviceable farce; bit dated and incredibly sexist.

[Casey Wiggins]

Dated, the translation leaves something to be desired sometimes but fun.

[Thomas]

"It all boils down to juggling timetables and a reliable maid who never forgets to change the photographs."

[Christelle]

1ere pièce de théâtre que j’ai vu. J’étais à Paris avec ma grand-mère. Le présentateur de Motus avait le rôle principal dans mon souvenir. J’avais adoré.

[Marc]

Dated, from mid-60s, may be funnier on the stage than on the page.

[Miguel Ângelo]

Fun play to read. Wonder if Ray Cooney took it as inspiration for “Run for your wife”. Must be quite challenging to perform such chaos.

[Olivia Cornell]

Brilliant

[Javier Fernandez]

This gets tiresome way before it's over.

[Mark Wenz]

Enjoyable albeit somewhat dated farce with witty dialogue and amusing characters.

[Sara]

Funny play! I’m excited to perform as Gabriella in April!

[Joanna]

I played Gretchen. Pineapple Playhouse, Fort Pierce, FL

[Austin Russell]

80/100

Just a solid modernist farce. The French are so good at making bad people look even worse by forcing their story to be a comedy and not a drama.

[Lauren Kost]

a giggle! i enjoy

[Dylan]

gretchen's the only valid choice here

[Jacob Meza]

I forgot why this is called boeing boeing

[Mathilde]

Very funny. Love a good farce

[Amy Burke]

This was a fun and quick read. Reminds of Closer but lighthearted.

[Grayce]

Really good script, I just wish the ending was different. I do love how Robert and Judith got together at the end, they were so funny together. Hopefully one day they all find out the truth… Also Janet is a Girlboss love her🤣

[Duncan Maccoll]

The Samuel French acting edition of Boeing Boeing is by Marc Camoletti (1923-2003) translated by Beverly (sic) Cross and Francis Evans.

Boeing Boeing was published by Camoletti in French in 1960 before being adapted and translated into English by Beverly (or Beverley) Cross and Francis Evans.

It was first produced in London in February 1962. Directed by Jack Minster with costumes by Joan Littlewood. Cast: JANET (Carole Shelley), BERNARD (Patrick Cargill), BERTHA (Carmel McSharry), ROBERT (David Tomlinson), JACQUELINE (Andree Melly) and JUDITH (Jane Downs).

It was produced in New York in February 1965. Again, directed by Jack Minster. Cast: JANET (Diana Millay), BERNARD (Gerald Harper), BERTHA (Maureen Pryer), ROBERT (Ian Carmichael), JACQUELINE (Susan Carr) and JUDITH (Joanna Morris).

Also, in 1965 Boeing Boeing was made into a film by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Edward Anhalt based on the original 1960 French play. It starred Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis as Bernard and Robert respectively. Thelma Ritter played Bertha. The three stewardesses were Dany Saval as Jaqueline Grieux of Air France; Christiane Schmidtmer as Lise Bruner of Lufthansa; and Suzanna Leigh as Vicky Hawkins of British United. Director John Rich said it was “satirically poking fun at American sexual proclivities in the jet age”.

In February 2007, Boeing Boeing was revived in London’s Comedy Theatre, now the Harold Pinter Theatre; the characters had been renamed for reasons unknown. Cast: GLORIA (Tamzin Outhwaite), BERNARD (Roger Allam), BERTHA (Frances de la Tour), ROBERT (Mark Rylance), GABRIELLA (Daisy Beaumont) and GRETCHEN (Michelle Gomez).

In May 2008 it was revived on Broadway in New York. Cast: GLORIA (Kathryn Hahn), BERNARD (Bradley Whitford), BERTHA (Christine Baranski), ROBERT (Mark Rylance), GABRIELLA (Gena Gershon) and GRETCHEN (Mary McCormack).

Alan Beverley Cross (1931-1998) second wife Maggie Smith; translated Boeing Boeing in 1962.

[Harri]

Three stars for the actual writing, five for the bunch of actors at the read through who made this genuinely hilarious, so to balance it out it can have 4.