Strap yourself in as "Boeing-Boeing" takes off at Center Rep while a pluperfect "The Dresser" prevails in San Jose Rep's production!

Robert (Alex Moggridge) and Gretchen (Jennifer Erdmann) connect while Gabriella (Jessica Lynn Carroll) waits for her lover! Photos by Kevin Berne

The Center Repertory Company is currently presenting “Boeing - Boeing”, a delightfully funny, totally insane and madcap 1960’s French comedy by Marc Camoletti, with a British adaptation by playwright, Beverly Cross, in the Margaret Lesher Theater in the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. At the same time, the San Jose Repertory Theater Company is presenting a moving and poignant case study of misplaced and overwrought loyalty in Ronald Harwood’s play entitled, “the Dresser”. The story is actually based in large part on Harwood’s experience as a “Dresser” to the Shakespearean actor, Sir Donald Wolfit, during the nightly turmoil of air raids and exploding bombs in the war years. These are both outstanding productions and I can hardly wait to tell you about them.

“Boeing-Boeing” is a comedy based on a man living in a bigamist or polygamist type of relationship with several women at the same time. The story is not new, just different in that the man in this play is portrayed a stereotypical American playboy, Bernard (Liam Vincent), who is living a superbly orchestrated erogenous adventure with three beautiful women in his Paris flat. He has proposed to each of them and is enjoying a very intimate relationship with each of these lovely women, a Texas American by the name of Gloria (Kelsey Venter), a dark haired, dark eyed Italian, Gabriella (Jessica Lynn Carroll), and a tall blond German, Gretchen (Jennifer Erdmann). He perpetuates this deception under the guise of soon becoming their husband. Bernard just never quite finds the time (as he is so over worked and stressed out from his busy schedule) to find time for the actual marriage to take place. Not only is he engaged to three very sexy women, but they, all three of them, are airline stewardesses. Each woman believes in her heart that Bernard is the perfectly devoted fiancé, a man who not only massages their egos and wines and dines them while they are together, but who remains completely loyal to her while she is off flying the friendly skies for her employer. Bernard believes that as long as he can carefully monitor each hostess’s flight schedules, knowing exactly how and when they will return to their French airfields and his flat, that he can keep his rewarding deception going and keep his bed warm at the same time.

Bernard also employs a full time housekeeper, Bertha (Lynda DiVito) who is paid to change and re-arrange certain personal things, such as decorations and photographs of each girlfriend prominently displayed in Bernard’s apartment, in accordance with each woman’s personal tastes. Bertha, like Bernard, lives by the flight schedules of each flight hostess, re-arranging the apartment’s artifacts as one woman leaves, in preparation for the next ones arrival.

All appears copasetic, his deceptions running like a well oiled machine, when his former college classmate, Robert (Alex Moggridge), unexpectedly shows up at Bernard’s apartment for a friendly school chum visit. Bernard invites a wide-eyed and disbelieving Robert into his confidence and shares with him, knowledge of his ongoing relationships with the three ladies. An astonished Robert plays along with the escapade while he is invited to stay on with Bernard in his apartment.
This show becomes a riot fest very quickly, almost in the first 15 minutes. The United Airlines hostess, a beautiful southern belle, Gloria (who is in making a mid-day stopover in Paris), is introduced to Robert, who has been raised as a very conservative gentleman and doesn’t understand why or how, one man can juggle three relationships all at one time.

Concurrent with Robert’s arrival, Bernard is advised that the ladies are soon to be upgraded in their jobs and allowed to serve on the more powerful Boeing super jumbo jets that their companies have recently purchased. These new aircraft are bigger, better and FASTER! Meaning, they are possibly going o be able to cover greater ground sooner, and return home with less time in transit. Again, Bernard does not seem to be particularly alarmed or concerned, so long as he can still correctly juggle their travel routes and times, as dictated by their company’s time tables. Just when Bernard is confident that absolutely nothing will go wrong, everything does begin to go wrong - - - go wrong - - - go wrong! Bad weather causes delays and stopovers in Paris, and the normal flying schedules become much more complicated and more tightly overlapping. Things may be going wrong for Bernard, but for his friend Robert and those of us who enjoy great comedy, everything is about to go right, or should I say, go great!

This tightly wrapped comedy is, outrageously funny, physically demanding and overtly sexual. Director Michael Butler has scored another high mark in regional theatrical direction with this master piece of just plain dumb fun! The acting is simply superlative in all characters, but I have to say that Alex Moggridge and Jennifer Erdmann, are unique in their characterizations, absolute gems. The 1960’s set designed by Erik Flatmo is pluperfect and contributes significantly to the overall production! The perfect period costumes by Victoria Livingston-Hall are equally pleasing.
This type of high energy slam bang boisterous comedy may not be the choice of everyone, but wife and I loved every minute of it, in fact, if I had the time, I would definitely go back and see it again. It is a mad-cap merry-go-round that revolves so rapidly, it is almost impossible to grasp the brass ring. It is reminiscent of many similar British comedies that we have seen over the years that have lots of doors opening, closing, slamming and banging, clothes coming on and going off, keeping you on the precarious edge of your seat, waiting for the next clever surprise.

Boeing-Boeing continues Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with matinees at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays in the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts at 1601 Civic Drive in Walnut Creek through Saturday, February 26th. One can purchase tickets by calling the box office at 943-SHOW (7469) or by visiting the in house box office or by visiting their website at http://www.centerrep.org/ or the Barnes and Noble book store ticket desk in their Walnut Creek store. Tickets range in price between $36 and $42 each.

In what has become one of our favorite theaters in the entire bay area, the San Jose Repertory Theater has once again delivered one of the most powerful productions we have seen in recent months with their production of Ronald Harwood’s engaging play, “The Dresser”.

Ronald Harwood moved from South Africa in 1951 to England, where he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He was an actor for seven years and he began to write plays for the stage in 1960. He as written numerous plays for the stage and the screen plays for his Academy Award winning movie, “The Dresser” and another Academy Award winning war time movie that was a favorite of mine, “The Pianist”, directed by Roman Polanski.

“The Dresser” examines the lives of two men, one a lead actor in his sunset years and the other, the man who has dedicated a major portion of his life in theater as the person who organizes and prepares the personal articles used by that actor in his performance, and in essence becoming the personal attendant before and after every production the actor performs in. The dresser has many duties that pertain to the actor’s preparation to appear on stage in each and every performance. He could and would assist in many duties, especially during the war years in England, when the theaters were working on a shoestring basis, barely able to compensate their professional actors. Those valet duties included assisting in the application of makeup, cleaning, ironing and preparing his costumes, attaching wigs, beards and other tonsorial duties.

This sad but poignant story introduces us to a Shakespearean Actor known simply as “Sir”, who has passed his prime and in the time frame of this play, during the bombing of London in the 40’s, is the lead actor in a small, decidedly poor theatrical company. “Sir” and his retinue of actors perform nightly hoping to keep live theater available to the distressed masses, willing to accept the trials and tribulations of their underfunded but greatly appreciated craft alive.

“Sir” (performed by Ken Ruta) is superb in his portrayal of this once great actor, who now performs as the shadow of his former self. “Sir” is occasionally spot on in his characterizations, but as is dictated by his increasing age and overshadowing dementia, increasingly becoming more befuddled, often frustrated and less than perfect in his performances

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His dedicated and adoring personal dresser, Norman (James Carpenter), clings to his belief that each lapse in memory or values judgment is temporary and will be short-lived, with him remaining steadfast and loyal, refusing to see any end in sight for his duties to his employer as a “dresser”. “Sir” is on the verge of total mental and physical collapse, greatly in need of retirement from the theater all together. In fact, as the play opened, Norman has just returned to the dressing room in their little theater following “Sir’s” admission to the general hospital following an “incident” in which the actor had been found wandering in the streets, totally bewildered.

“Sir’s” leading lady is also his significant other, although not married. “Her Ladyship” (Rachel Harker) understands “Sir’s” increasing bewilderment and declining health and tries her best to cajole him into taking the money they have saved and to retire from this work. She pleads with him to retire, hoping to extend his years with her, years she is deeply concerned will be lost for every if he does not yield to her protestations and urgings.

Norman seems to have no other interests in life than his dedication to this aging actor and lives his life vicariously through his charge. His entire existence seems to be centered on this relationship and his work as the “dresser” to this employer. Norman continues to extol and exaggerate each nightly performance of his master, telling him fabricated stories of how much “Sir” has moved individual audience members to tears by “Sir’s” performance. They, the dresser and the actor, are each highly dependent on the other, far more than they realize.

Other actors include Madge (Lynne Soffer) the company’s stage manager, who questions seriously “Sir’s” ability to go on stage for his upcoming 277th performance of King Lear. Irene (Blythe Foster) is a young and very attractive aspiring actress who hopes to use her sexuality to persuade “Sir” to give her a more significant part in future productions. Other actors, who play the roles of other cast members in their Lear performance, include Blake Ellis, Julian Lopez-Morillas, Drew Benjamine Jones, Jason Kapoor, Shane Rhoades and Adam Sessa.

In 1983, the movie “The Dresser” received five nominations for the screenwriting and individual performances of Michael Finney as the aging Shakespearean actor and Tom Courtenay as the dresser. This production should also win awards as a spellbinding production, perfectly executed with superb acting all around, a great set and outstanding costumes. Director Rick Lombado has pulled together a superb cast and excellent support artisans, especially scenic designer, Kent Dorsey and costumer Cathleen Edwards. The dressing room set, with all of its World War II posters, gas masks and other paraphernalia is incredible. Perhaps brilliant is a word I use too much, but I cannot think of anything else that comes close to this production.

“The Dresser” continues with performances on Tuesdays at 7:30, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with matinees on Saturdays at 3p.m. and at 2 p.m. on Sundays, now through February 20th. Tickets range in price between $35 and $74 with a $6 discount for all senior tickets. Call (408) 367-7255 to reserve tickets or visit their online website at http://www.sjrep.com/. The San Jose Repertory Theatre is a beautiful facility, easy to reach and always rewarding. The San Jose Repertory Company Theatre is located at 101 Paseo de San Antonio, between 2nd and 3rd Streets, one block north of East San Carlos Street in San Jose. There is multi-storied public parking structure at the corner of East San Carlos Street, between 2nd and 3rd streets.