THEATRE REVIEW: Castaway Airlines
30.05.2023 at Basement Theatre
Castaway Airlines is an immersive experience that takes you on a hilariously turbulent flight from Auckland to Wellington (while never truly having to leave the comfort of your home town). The entirety of Castaway Airlines feels like the audience is in on one big joke and I love these sorts of comedy shows - They feel as though you can forget for a moment and immerse yourself in something chaotic, something cathartic, and something downright fun.
Waiting downstairs for the show to begin, I was delighted to hear the “doors open” intercom replaced with a “boarding now” announcement. The immersive in-flight experience was never absurdly overdone - The tone, very tongue-in-cheek, focussed on a gentle nudge towards laughter, rather than a violent shove. I absolutely loved it when a ‘flight attendant’ took my ticket and grew even more excited when I found a laminated aircraft safety card on my seat. However, on closer inspection, each of the standard safety procedures had been replaced with hilarious parodies. These moments added to the experience without forcing you to partake. As someone who is not particularly keen on audience interaction, I really loved the way Castaway Airlines provided an experience to be immersed in, rather than an activity to participate in. Whether you prefer to sit back, or you want to engage directly with the actors, both options are encouraged in Castaway Airlines. The immersive elements are so well integrated, that you are a part of the experience regardless of whether you avoid eye contact with actors in fear of being singled out.
The set was well-considered too with a cockpit and airplane seats on either side of the stage. I really enjoyed the dual layout that allowed for simultaneous narratives to occur - the two co-pilots on one side and the flight attendant on the other. The team have also done a fantastic job of balancing humour with story, never succumbing to the ‘gag after gag’ structure. It is clear that character has been a driving force for this show, which I feel works particularly well in this context. By limiting the set changes and forcing these characters to remain in a single space, it creates opportunities for character to be explored. The quirks and idiosyncrasies of each character are not only well fleshed out, but explored with wit and heart. The humour almost felt a bit like Australian sitcom, Kath & Kim - walking the thin line between caricature and sentimentality. There’s a certain nostalgia to the show that I really enjoyed as well. No one is ever in the line of fire. We are all in on the joke, and the satire is served with a knowing smirk and a cheeky wink.
The trio have clearly known each other for a long time - there’s an organicness to their jokes and the way they bounce off of each other. Jane Wills, Leo Maggs, and Anthony Crum, having attended Toi Whakaari together, are on the exact same wavelength throughout the show - they know each other’s style of comedy and rhythm of speech so well that they never miss a beat. The pacing is quick and clean; it's almost on a metronomic timing. You can tell that they had fun coming up with these jokes and their off-stage connection adds a real rapport on stage. Also, they are so solidified in their characters that I would never believe they had jobs in anything other than the airline industry. Their portrayal of airline crew, right down to the painsticking fillers in the pilot’s intercom announcements, were absolutely spot on.
In particular, Jane Wills’ metamorphosis from jaded flight attendant (complete with the Kiwi accent twang) to frantic housewife to lisping child was astonishing. Her ability to step into caricature so smoothly and inhabit these iconic Kiwi archetypes had me in stitches. My mum was particularly blown away, turning to me and asking, “is that the same person?!”.
Castaway Airlines is one of those shows that masters the art of poking fun - from the tipsy pilot doing crossword puzzles in the cockpit, to the air hostess who, though smiling, is mildly irritated at anyone who crosses her path. Castaway Airlines is a hilarious night that will undoubtedly make you giggle the next time you board a flight. Definitely book your tickets for this fun time full of familiar airline quirks and Kiwi accents. And as someone who has just flown back from Dunedin, I very much appreciated the jokes about absurd hidden costs.
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Director: Anthony Crum, Leo Maggs, Jane Wills
Cast: Anthony Crum, Leo Maggs, Jane Wills
Creative: Hannah Lynch