NOW that “Boeing-Boe ing” has flown the coop, the sexiest stewardesses in the theater these days are at “Wickets” – an inventive and immersing theatrical experience that’s a lot cheaper (and more fun) than an actual flight to Paris.
Conceived and directed by Clove Galilee and Jenny Rogers, the show is a radical reinterpretation of Maria Irene Fornes’ 1977 experimental play “Fefu and Her Friends.” This time, the audience is seated in an elaborate mock-up of an airplane, complete with first-class, business and coach sections.
The year is 1971, and as the “Wicket Airlines” flight proceeds, complete with projections of moving clouds outside the windows, eight stewardesses supply you with water, hot nuts and the occasional Tang in between their elaborately choreographed musical numbers.
They also engage in a water-pistol shootout and a spirited game of imaginary croquet while grabbing the occasional smoke – it’s the ’70s, after all – and allow us to eavesdrop on their sexually charged conversations (“Do you think about genitals all the time?”).
The frequently hilarious dialogue is filled with non sequiturs, but some story lines eventually emerge – revelations involving a clandestine romantic relationship and a mysterious hunting accident that’s left one of them in a wheelchair.
Also on hand is the airplane’s smarmy captain (Eric Walton), who doubles as an ethereal musical guide during takeoff and landing.
“Wickets” is ultimately more notable for its sheer novelty than its murky explorations into the female psyche, but it’s a memorable journey all the same. Get your boarding pass now.
WICKETS 3LD Art & Technology Center, 80 Greenwich St.; 212-352- 3101. Through Jan. 25.