The Peterborough Players kicked off their 2025 summer season with “Boeing Boeing,” a rousing, slightly racy farce that brought big laughs to its preview crowd on Tuesday night.

“Boeing Boeing,” penned by French playwright Marc Camoletti and translated by Beverly Cross and Francis Evans, is the tale of Bernard, an American in Paris who has his love life well sorted. Between his three international air hostess fiancées, he never gets bored, and as long as he sticks to the timetable, never the three shall meet. It is the first Players production under new Artistic Director Brendon Fox.

That is until faster jets and an unexpected storm over the Atlantic puts all three of his paramours in Paris on the same night, leaving Bernard and his old school friend Robert, there for a visit, to juggle the three women in a classical farcical scenario. 

Farce as a genre is fast-paced and slightly risque, with big laughs but not a deep story, which is a genre that does not appeal to everyone. But if light-hearted laughs and a tinge of ridiculous is what you’re looking for, “Boeing Boeing” fits the bill. 

The setting is the 1960s, in an apartment in Paris, a static set that is lightly dressed. As is common in farces, the most-interesting thing about the stage is the multiple exits and entrances, which commonly have characters popping in and out with timing that must be perfect to nail the comedic element – which “Boeing Boeing” has down. 

Bernard, played by Christian Pedersen, is not the most-likable protagonist, but Pedersen plays his overly slick and polished demeanor well, contrasted with abject panic as his perfect plan comes to ruin. 

Most of the action centers around his more-sympathetic friend Robert, played by Brian Owen, whose physical comedy was one of the standouts of the night.

Owen and Tracie Lane, playing Bernard’s bombastic German fiancée Gretchen, were the comedic highlights of the night. Playing big energy with a somewhat unlikely chemistry, the two deservedly received the biggest laughs of the show. Lane, in particular, with a tremendous amount of energy poured into her performance, was a standout.

Denise Cormier played Berthe, Bernard’s long-suffering French maid who helps manage his rotating door of lovers, but has surprisingly insightful conversations with some of the characters, and a dry, cutting wit delivered delightfully by Cormier.

Emma Geer, Bernard’s American fiancée Gloria, mixes American bluntness and forthrightness to create a character that certainly knows what she wants. Gabriella, Bernard’s Italian fiancée, played by Rin Allen, shows off a feisty personality and a temper to match. 

These character portrayals rely on an over-the-top delivery, and while Cormier, Lane and Owen were standouts, all six actors brought an individual flair to their characters, relying not only on their dialogue but crafting unique ways each character moved and spoke.

Tickets for Players performances are $60 for a single ticket or a season subscription for $250. Tickets may be purchased on the Players’ website at peterboroughplayers.com or by calling the box office at 603-924-7585 between 10 a.m. and showtime on performance days or 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on non-performance days. All performances are at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee performance at 4 p.m. “Boeing Boeing” runs through June 29. ashley s

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaarI@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.