IN “BOEING, BOEING,” Laura Lejuwaan as Berthe, Justin Murphy as Bernard and Roxy Payne as Gloria (WCP photos).

By Thom deMartino/Orange County Tribune

Ah, to have all the benefits of a relationship, with none of the messy commitments (well, not as far as his other girlfriends know, anyway…)
Westminster Community Playhouse has let loose with the laughs in the new Jim Katapodis-directed comedy, “Boeing Boeing.”

In swinging 1960’s Paris, businessman Bernard (Justin Murphy) is enjoying a seemingly idyllic life with his beautiful and effervescent English fiancé, Gloria (Roxy Payne). When his old friend Robert (Bryan Edelmann) unexpectedly stops in for a visit – some unfortunate timing, as Gloria, a beautiful British Airways flight attendant, is jetting off on her next assignment – Bernard reveals his secret to a happy home …“bigamy.”

His plan is devilishly clever, if precariously structured: with not one, but two other fiancées on the side, Bernard plays a shell game with his stewardess girlfriends, making sure no two overlap in their timetables, so that each thinks they are his one and only…  conveniently going so far as to make sure each of them has a first name starting with “G”, so he can’t confuse gifts.
Unhappily aiding and abetting the American cad is his surly French maid Berthe (Laura Lejuwaan): long-suffering with keeping up appearances, but even moreso with having to change up a menu of different cultural cuisine every few days.

Bernard’s multiple betrothed are a bevy of international beauties: besides the charming Gloria, there’s the alluring & hot-blooded Gabriella (Demi Molinari), an attendant with Air Italia; and the fetching fraulein Gretchen (Miki Gonzales), flying with the German airline Lufthansa…
Robert is stunned at the audacity of the scheme — as he’s suddenly introduced to the arriving Gabriella, not long after Gloria’s exit, he has to admit his friend’s “timetables” work. And with each fiancé working a rotating schedule, and Bernard cleverly improvising when they overlap, what could possibly go wrong?
Plenty, obviously.

All it takes is a little bit of foul weather – enough to ground a plane – and all bets are off…
The WCP players have started off the new year in fantastic fashion with this madcap romp through a (mostly unknowingly) plural relationship, with the audience finding itself (like Robert) vaguely unsettled, yet reluctantly impressed by his friend’s moxie.

There are some marvelous new additions to the troupe in this production, not the least of which is Justin Murphy as Bernard: one really wants to dislike the character, yet Murphy’s energy and charm make him a likeable (if dishonest) fellow. You’re both rooting for him, yet waiting for his comeuppance.

Edelmann’s Robert is charming in his awkwardness, playing up the midwestern gawkishness – acting as the excellent voice of reason that Bernard repeatedly manages to deftly sidestep. Lejuwaan’s Berthe is delightfully droll in her delivery, often dominating the room: never missing an opportunity to undermine her boor of a boss with an offhand wry comment.
Molinari’s Gabriella is by turns fierce and flirtatious, with a marvelously manic intensity; Payne’s charismatic and witty Gloria charms; and Gonzales’ buoyant and bubbly Gretchen enthralls both with melodic voice and magnetic presence.

A delightfully fun foray into one man’s daydreams of romantic roguery turned literal logistical nightmare, “Boeing Boeing” is first-class entertainment at a business-class rate, so strap in – it’s going to be a wonderfully bumpy ride.

 “Boeing Boeing.” Justin Murphy, Bryan Edelmann and Laura Lejuwaan star in a tale of one man’s audacious relationship goals… and the reality of them. Now playing through Feb. 11at the Westminster Community Playhouse, 7272 Maple St, Westminster. Ticketing information available online at http://www.wcpstage.com, or call (714) 893-8626.