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‘Boeing Boeing’ ‘Funny, a lot of energy’

SMSU theater department comedy starts tonight

Top: Paul Ragan, as Bernard, and Dean Zinda, as Robert, rehearse a scene from Southwest Minnesota State University Theater’s production of “Boeing Boeing,” which opens today.

MARSHALL — One man engaged to three beautiful women. What could possibly go wrong?

The Southwest Minnesota State University theater department is presenting “Boeing Boeing” at 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday at the SMSU Fine Arts Theatre. The show is being directed by guest director Anne Byrd, theater faculty member from Normandale Community College.

“Boeing Boeing” is about Bernard, a bachelor living in Paris in the 1960s who is juggling engagements to three stewardesses. A new Boeing jet brings all three women to Paris at the same time, and chaos ensues.

Byrd said the show can be described as a farce, so the direction she took with it focused on amplifying the farcical elements and making the show as fun and entertaining as it could be. She and the production team talked about making choices in the design that would reflect a light and fun atmosphere.

“Because the show is set in the early ’60s, this was a fairly easy task,” Byrd said. “The clothing of the period, for example, can be colorful and striking. We talked about a color palette that looked like a bag of Skittles. I knew that I would need to work with the actors to make broad physical choices and to keep the pace of the show up.”

Paul Ragan portrays Bernard, who he says is “an obvious ladies man, who even though morally his choices are wrong, is a really nice guy.”

“He cares for the women he’s with and does care for his friend Robert, too,” Ragan said. “His relationship with his maid Berthe is rocky on the outside, but deep down he really does care for her. He’s very organized and hates complications to his plans. I went about developing him with the thought that he’s not too far from me personality-wise.”

Emilie Baartman’s character Gretchen is a German stewardess and one of Bernard’s fiancees in the play. She describes Gretchen as very kind and laid back but gets tough when she needs to be.

“She is one of those girls that would rather be wearing pants than a dress,” Baartman said. “With developing Gretchen, I can already relate to her, because I can be both tough and laid back, depending on the situation.”

For the dialect, Baartman said she was involved in another SMSU production a few years ago, “The Triangle Factory Fire Project,” where she played a factory worker from Germany.

“I also got to hear stories about what my great-great-grandmother’s dialect was like, and how she would talk, and I would also apply my three years of German to the dialect, comparing how each word is being said and what are the common sounds that most Germans would say,” Baartman said.

Ragan said he’s tried to work on making Bernard charming while around the ladies and more businesslike with the other two characters.

The SMSU students remind her a lot of her own at Normandale, Byrd said. One of the things she admires about today’s students is that they have to balance so many things in their lives. They don’t get to be just students, she said.

“They have their own academic pursuits, plus jobs, family obligations, and to put the huge commitment of being in a theater production on top of that is impressive,” she said. “It’s hard not to develop a deep respect for their work ethic.”

Working with Byrd has been a lot of fun and brings a new perspective to things like every director does, Ragan said.

“She’s allowed us some freedom to develop the characters in a way we think they should be but has also given us pointers to help in their development,” Ragan said. “A lot of the advice she’s given us has been to just go out and have fun. This show is really quite funny and has a lot of energy.”

Some advice Byrd’s given him personally, Ragan said, is to just relax with Bernard.

“At the beginning, I was really trying hard to put up a front for him, and she told me to just relax and let my natural behavior come out,” Ragan said. “It’s really helped me.”

Baartman said working with Byrd has been amazing.

“She is very kind, and she is willing to help out with a scene that you’re stuck on,” Baartman said. “She has great ideas for adding humor to the scenes, and I have a great time working with her. One of the tips that I received from her is that if I”m swinging a large object around, just to hit my target, make sure to look back first, and swing. Otherwise, I’ll miss my target.”

Byrd said she’s been attempting to teach the SMSU students some things about how comedy and farces function best.

“They are required to be fearless and unashamed to look ridiculous,” Byrd said. “That can be a hard thing to do, but when it works, the comedic payoff is great.”

Byrd said the big challenge with the show is working all the physical bits such that the chaos that you will see is actually rehearsed exceedingly carefully.

Baartman said “Boeing Boeing” is “chaos.”

“With Bernard dealing with all three of his fiancees in the flat, he has to figure out a plan fast,” Baartman said. “Oh, and the fiancees don’t know they’re all engaged to the same man.”

Byrd and Baartman said “Boeing Boeing” is a fun show.

“There is so much at stake for Bernard, and the outcomes of the actions from the characters are hilarious,” Baartman said.

“Audiences should expect a light and entertaining evening of theater,” Byrd said.

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