‘Boeing Boeing’ serves laughs at The Central New York Playhouse

Central New York’s newest play has taken flight in the play Boeing Boeing. On Jan. 12, The Central New York Playhouse in DeWitt premiered its newest comedy.

“Boeing Boeing” is a traditional farce — silly, fast-paced and oftentimes has an unlikely plot.

The story follows Bernard, an architect who is simultaneously engaged to three women at once. Each of these women is a flight attendant from a different country, and Bernard struggles to keep them a secret from each other while keeping a cool head.

Director Noelle Hedgcock said the reason she chose to direct “Boeing Boeing” was because it was a farce.

“I had been in a number of farces and seen a number of them and enjoyed them, and ‘Boeing Boeing’ is automatically one I thought of,” she said. “It’s a really fun show, and it’s a name people know, and I thought on the stage it would work really well at The CNY Playhouse.”

Hedgcock is a graduate student at Syracuse University studying English. She started working at The CNY Playhouse in 2016 as an actress, but directing has always been a passion of hers. Although directing a community play while taking graduate classes may be difficult, Hedgcock said she loves it.

“I think that figuring out what defines you outside your scholarship and grad school is super important,” she said. “For me, being able to be around the cast and crew and be in that space has given me a place to relax even though I’m doing an activity. Leaving rehearsal feeling charged makes me ready to do more school work later in the night.”

Hedgcock’s dedication inspires the actors, including Liz Stanistreet, who plays Gretchen, one of Bernard’s fiancées. She said Hedgcock gives the actors a lot of freedom to play with the characters the way they wanted.

And it doesn’t hurt that Stanistreet is convinced her role was meant for her.

“I’ve been (in) a range of different shows, I’ve done Shakespeare, I’ve done musicals, I’ve done dramas, but this is definitely my favorite because I love comedy,” she said. “And my role (as) Gretchen, I didn’t know she was a dream role until I got the role. I just love playing her.”

There are only six people in the cast, which has given them the opportunity to grow closer both on and off stage, said Derek Potocki, who plays Bernard.

“It’s a really good show, this cast has really bonded with each other, and our chemistry really shows,” he said. “I think it’s just really funny, and we’ve put so much time and effort into this, and it’s just a big project of love for all of us.”

His character Bernard, who is a suave playboy, eventually breaks down at the end of the show. That dramatic transition is what Potocki believes is the hardest part about the role.

But amid all the comedy, Potocki said the show delivers a valuable message: women’s empowerment. The cast and crew is mostly women.

“In the last year, I’ve done seven shows and every one of them had a female director, and that’s amazing,” he said. “That’s made me really proud about the community around here and I think that shows a lot.”

“Boeing Boeing” will run through Jan. 27. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at cnyplayhouse.org.