Boeing Boeing

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Boeing Boeing

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  4w, 2m

By Marc Camoletti
Translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans

This 1960’s French farce adapted for the English-speaking stage features self-styled Parisian lothario Bernard, who has Italian, German, and American fiancées, each a beautiful airline hostess with frequent “layovers.” He keeps “one up, one down, and one pending” until unexpected schedule changes bring all three to Paris, and Bernard’s apartment, at the same time.

Image: 2008 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Farce
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14 - 18)
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 2008 Tony Award, Best Revival of a Play
    Winner! 2008 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Revival of a Play
    Nominee: 2008 Olivier Award, Best Revival

Details

Summary
“This latest edition of a play named for an aircraft soars right out of its time zone and into some unpolluted stratosphere of classic physical comedy.” – The New York Times

History
The English version of Boeing Boeing premiered in London's West End at the Apollo Theatre in 1962, with David Tomlinson in the lead role. The play transferred to the Duchess Theatre in 1965, running for a total of seven years. Boeing Boeing made its Broadway debut at the Cort Theatre on February 2, 1965, in a production directed by Jack Minster.
BERNARD – a Parisian bachelor
GLORIA – an American air hostess
BERTHE – Bernard’s housekeeper
ROBERT – a friend of Bernard’s
GABRIELLA – an Italian air hostess
GRETCHEN – a German air hostess
  • Time Period 1960s
  • Setting Bernard’s flat near Orly Airport in Paris.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Physical Comedy
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Fasten your seatbelts for the most deliriously funny flight of your life.” – Georgina Brown, Mail on Sunday

"Soars right out of its time zone and into some unpolluted stratosphere of classic physical comedy. Propelled by the same gusty spirit that animated Commedia dell'Arte and the silent films of Keaton, Chaplin and Lloyd, [Boeing Boeing] may be earthy, but it's seldom earthbound.” – The New York Times

“This is, by many an air mile, the funniest show on the London stage.” – Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph

“I cannot remember experiencing a West End evening of such sheer, silly, comic pleasure.” – Nicholas de Jongh, Evening Standard

Photos

  • Boeing Boeing

    Image: 2008 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

  • Boeing Boeing

    Image: 2008 Broadway Production (Joan Marcus)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

Add-Ons

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Authors

Marc Camoletti

Marc Camoletti (1923-2003) authored more than 40 plays and became a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in France. Boeing Boeing, his first major international success, ran for seven years and 2000 performances in its debut London production. It became the Guinness Book of Reco ...

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Beverley Cross

Beverley Cross (1931-1998) achieved instant success in 1959 with One More River, starring Sir Michael Caine and directed by Laurence Olivier. His second play, Strip the Willow, made his future wife, Dame Maggie Smith, a star. Among his other successes were the musical comedy ...
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Author

Francis Evans

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