Boeing Boeing is a new production of a French farce dating from the sixties (and filmed a couple of times). Bernard (Roger Allam) lives in a Parisian apartment, and at the play’s start we meet him with glamourous TWA air stewardess Gloria (Tamsin Outhwaite). But he has a secret. Aided and abetted by his world weary maid (Frances de la Tour) he is also betrothed to Gretchen of Luthansa (Michelle Gomez) and Gabriella of Alitalia (Daisy Beaumont). And as in the best of farces, circumstances come together when Bernard’s old friend from the provinces Robert (Mark Rylance) arrives in town for a few days.
Rylance gives Robert a Welsh accent to accentuate his naivety – he hails from Aix-en-Provence – and his character soon finds himself close to a nervous breakdown but at the same time excited as the doors duly slam all around him.
The standout performance, however, has to be Michelle Gomez’s Gretchen who has the most ridiculously over the top accent since Allo Allo, but she’s fantastic at the same time.
Overall, this is thoroughly stupid fare, but an entertaining way to pass a Saturday evening – especially if you’ve just seen England lose dismally in Ireland on TV.