So, I saw Plane Crazy on Opening Night.
Now, Opening Night in a Festival situation is always a little different: The audience is packed with relatives and well-wishers. This means that they applaud loudly, but don't always follow the story or get involved. The audience at Opening Night got involved. The cared about the characters; they laughed even when the line was delivered by someone from another gene-pool.
The other thing about Opening Night in a Festival is that the cast and crew usually consider the show and tech/dress rehearsal. Let's face it, they're sharing the theater, they know more about setting up and striking the set then they do about the theatre because that's what they've been doing for the past month Plane Crazy was no exception, except to say that the technical gaffs were few and far between and they did not detract from the performances, the energy or the over-all fun of the show. A couple of light cues, one or two lost lines, a missing screen.. but you had to be looking for them to see and I have no doubt that by second performance, these things are gone.
Okay, so much for critical.
Next, an admission. I am an unabashed fan. I went to the show wanting to enjoy it. I have seen it in workshop form. And I tend to enjoy most everything that I attend (this includes a middle school version of The Nutcracker dances to a scratchy vinyl record, and yet does not include Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistlin' Down the Wind!)
I went to Plane Crazy to be delighted and entertained and I was but before you dismiss me as a sycophant (although I would do anything to be one), let me tell you why I loved it.

1. The colours. A palette that seems to have been resurrected from the Original Star Trek series, no colours on that stage could be found in nature. On the set of Laugh In, perhaps, a Doctor Suess Play room or Doris Day's lingerie drawer, but no where else. It was so very 1960's and capture the fun and the context of the show.
2. The costumes. Not just the colour, but the cut and the style. It was Twiggy and Carnaby Street, but not over the top. Austin Powers takes the clothes over the top, these costumes put us into the same time period but without the smirk. My mom wore those clothes (ich, I need to get that out of my head)
3. The choreography. This was a small stage and yet there was great movement. Sure, William Broderick as Sam Crenshaw could use a Tango lesson or two, but his halting movements seemed to be in character and actually added a certain dimension to the man who could move so beautifully in the sky, but was all elbows and knees on the ground. Everyone else seemed to be able to kick so high. They moved, again, like Laugh In, but with less confusion. The choreography created great energy, delighted the eye and never once detracted from the story of the characters. The "Venus Flytrap" should be immortalized as a dance craze that never was, but could have been.
4. Advertising references. Oh, how they did abound. Littered throughout the script, they perked up the ear, invited a smile and rather made me feel as if I was at home in front of the TV in my Speed Racer pajamas eating Maypo. Again, they set the context, but also reminded the audience of the earnest shallowness of 60's pop culture. A little dab, would not do ya' we needed lots of them and we got them.
5. Sex. Yes, it was sexy. Short skirts and a flash of thigh here and there but it was the kind of sexy that you used to hide under the mattress, not the kind that you find on the internet. This sex was flirty, not dirty.
6. The Feminine Mystique. Yes, the book. Quoted, but never preached. Evident, but not dominant. It's rather sobering to realize how many people have no familiarity with the book or it's content, and yet live in a world made better by it and continue to fight battles described in it.
7. The cast. To an individual, excellent! Allison Sprat as Faith Hope is the girl that you always hoped would live next door (I got stuck with old Mrs. Williams and her dachshund named "Ted"). She has a great voice and a wide eyed innocence that makes you a party to her naiveté. Her vocal range is exceptional and her warmth is evident. In the "That was Then, this is NOW" number, she took us all to church. Sarah Mugavero as Janet Jones was delightful. Apparently, only in the part for a very short time (ah, the travails of an understudy), she nailed it. Her voice wraps all around you and she completely delivered Janet's transformation. I believed in her change, which a lesser actor would left insincere. According to the notes, she has sung the National Anthem for The Boston Red Sox. I'm guessing it was last year, because hers is the kind of voice that ends curses. Hollie Howard as Holly Banks was wonderfully over the top, but never out of control. She made me laugh and always kept me cheering for Holly, even when she was at odds with our heroine. Richard Todd Adams as pilot Brett Mansford was everyman In love, in charge, not in charge, left out of love, confused, devoted. I always believed him and I would have gladly heard him sing more.
8. The band. That was a lot of sound for keys, drums, bass and 2 saxes.
9. The songs. Fantastic. A hint of Pajama Game, Stephen Schwartz, A.L.Webber (up to Evita. You remember, the good old days!), Tom Lehrer (if you don't know, find out!), even a little Sondheim. But all Suzy Conn. Throughout the whole show, I could hear echoes (but not like Urinetown that intentionally parodied/paid homage to every musical every written, but more like the ghosts of some great shows and great composers were there in the audience). The opening number "Plane Crazy" stays with you for day after you leave the theatre. "That Was Then This is NOW" wraps everything up, but along the way, I will Take of You brings tears to your eyes (well, mine anyway) and I think that "I Need You" is the hidden gem in a great soundtrack. "Dancing on Air" works, "Turbulence" is wonderful fun; Simpler Times is wistful, and there just aren't enough wistful songs any more. The variety of songs keeps the audience entertained and gives the cast a chance to show off obvious vocal talents. The rhyme scheme is not hip hop, it's Sondheim, with lovely subtle internal rhymes, gentle punning, parabolic contrasts and juxtaposition!! (Yes, I know what all of that means)
10. The story. In the end, there needs to be a story. And this is a good one. Sure, it's about feminism; yes, it's a lovingly critique of advertising; absolutely, it's a nostalgic trip to the 60's; true, it is a love story and a coming of age story.... But it's more whole and organic than all of those wonderful disparate parts. For a couple of hours we watch Faith and Janet cross paths; we see Ego and Id come together; What I SHOULD Do and What I CAN Do, finally come together in the song "Listen To My Heart" and it all makes sense. Did to me, anyway. But I am unabashed fan, so what do I know.

If you find yourself in New York in the next week or so, it might be worth hanging out in front of The Beckett Theater... maybe someone will faint on their way through the door, by all means call for help, but be sure to grab their ticket and see the show. The other thing that you could do is keep an eye open for Plane Crazy, because this will not be the last chance that you have to see it, the show is JUST taking off.