Four NEW High-Flying Talents Lend Lift to Boeing-Boeing

Posted by Bruce Miller
Boeing-Boeing closes today (Sunday) at Hanover Tavern with a 2 p.m. matinee performance. After seven weeks of relatively full and very happy houses, the popular consensus is that this classic French/British farce from 1960/62 is one of the funniest plays to hit Central Virginia's boards in quite a while.

A good deal of the credit for the general hilarity goes to the two-thirds of the cast who are working in a Barksdale show for the first time. Returning favorites Susan Sanford (pictured above and to the left) and Derek Phipps (to the right) may well be leading the laugh fest with their inspired clowning, but newcomers Maura Burroughs, Donna Marie Miller, Caylyn Temple and Denis Riva each bring unique and highly honed talents to the task at hand.

Maura Burroughs (to the left) plays Gloria, the American air hostess who flies with TWA, and spends her free time during Paris layovers cavorting with playboy architect Bernard. A native Richmonder, Maura trained at NYC's prestigious Circle in the Square Theatre School, and has been living and working in the Big Apple for the last four years. Favorite credits include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Shelley in Bat Boy the Musical, Soupy Sue in Urinetown the Musical, and Hippolyta / Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream. http://www.mauraburroughs.com/.

Donna Marie Miller (to the right) is Gretchen, the German air hostess who flies with Lufthansa and is as passionate about her men as she is her career. Donna was a theatre major at James Madison University, and spent her immediate post-grad years in Los Angeles doing theatre, television, films and commercials. Favorite roles included Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Anita in West Side Story, and Princess Winifred in Once Upon a Mattress. Currently, Donna is pursuing her second passion, teaching kindergarten in Chesterfield County Public Schools.

Caylyn Temple (to the left with Denis Riva) brings "la dolce vita" to the role of Gabriella, Bernard's voluptuous Italian mistress (and true soul mate). She's an air hostess for Al Italia. Caylyn is a 2010 theatre grad from VCU, and she spent all of last school year touring with Theatre IV. She plans to move to NYC this fall to pursue her career further. Favorite roles include Mrs. Walker in The Who's Tommy and Mrs. Forrest in Psycho Beach Party, both at Theatre VCU.

Last but certainly not least is Denis Riva (to the right with Derek Phipps), who portrays the cock of the roost in this quintessential bedroom farce. He received his BA from Washington and Lee University, his MFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his JD from the University of Richmond Law School. New York theatre credits include A Woman of No Importance at BITS Players and In My Dreams ... at the Vortex Theatre Co. Regional credits include Hay Fever, Gross Indecency, and All's Well that Ends Well at PlayMaker's Rep; Our Town and Fiddler on the Roof at CalRep; and Narnia at Playhouse on the Square.

If you'd like to catch Boeing-Boeing before it flies away forever, come today (Sunday) for our final performance at 2 p.m. As of this writing, tickets are still available. The number of our box office, which opens at noon, is 282-2620. Hope to see you there.

--Bruce Miller