"Boeing Boeing," onstage through Oct. 16, 2011, at the Old Creamery Theatre in Amana, stars (back row, from left) Jessica Bradish of Des Moines, Jackie McCall of Marengo, Deborah Kennedy of East Amana and (front) John D. Smitherman of Philadelphia. (Shelley Klimes photo)

By Diana Nollen/ SourceMedia Group

AMANA — “Boeing Boeing” features more tap dancing and juggling than “The Ed Sullivan Show,” more zingers than “Laugh-In” and more sight-gags than ”The Carol Burnett Show.” 

This comedy of errors, which won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, launched the Old Creamery Theatre’s opening matinee audience into fits of laughter Thursday afternoon (9/15/2011).  The show plays on the mainstage through Oct. 16.

The script is solid as a rock and putty in the hands of the seasoned pros who know how to wring every last drop of hilarity out of each and every Kodak moment.

Set in 1967, the action takes place in the Paris apartment shared by a complete and total cad and his three fiancees who are blissfully unaware of each other. They are “air hostesses” whose paths never cross — until their airlines buy super Boeing jet engines that speed up their trajectories.

The “what” is a given. You just know boyfriend Bernard’s best-laid plans are going to crash. It’s the “when” and “how” that keep audiences howling.

John D. Smitherman redeems his flawed character with flawless blustering. Bernard is seemingly powerless to think on his feet and spends a lot of time sputtering helplessly as everything spirals around him. Smitherman finds just the right tone every time.

Far from bimbos, Bernard’s bevy of beauties are stronger and much more clever than he is. Jessica Bradish is every inch the Southern belle as Gloria, all sugar on the outside and decadence on the inside. Deborah Kennedy adds plenty of fire and ice as Italian hottie Gabriella, while Jackie McCall pumps iron into German fraulein Gretchen. All are lovely, sexy and foxy, knowing exactly how to make the men drool.

These four actors have to be at the top of their game, because in every scene, they have to play amidst the area’s elite: Sean McCall and Marquetta Senters. Nobody mugs better than these two, nobody has better timing than these two, nobody plays farce better than these two.

McCall plays Bernard’s hapless, sappy friend Robert, who stumbles into the beehive and is quickly covered in sticky situations. Senters is a riot as Berthe, Bernard’s French maid who isn’t quite sure how to clean up his messes and is more than ready to wipe her hands of the whole thing. Sassy and saucy, she delivers her curtsies with a sneer chaser.

While the cat-and-mouse games McCall and Senters play with the other actors are a sight to behold, the games they play with each other are astounding. You never know who’s going to pounce first and send the other one scurrying. They are the glue that holds the show together when the plans all around them come unglued.

Timing is everything in comedy and this high-flying farce is right on target.

FAST TAKE

• What: “Boeing Boeing”
• Where: Old Creamery Theatre, 39 38th Ave., Amana
• When: Through Oct. 16, 2011;  3 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays
• Tickets: $27 adults, $17.50 students at 1-(800) 35-AMANA or www.oldcreamery.com
• Information: http://www.oldcreamery.com/2011boeing-boeing.php