Waiting On A Jet Way

Tuesday evening I sat down for the production “Departure Lounge.” I had heard from the previous group of students that it was really good, but I still did not really know what to expect. I arrived to the theatre and it immediately struck me how tiny the space was, and how close we were sitting to the stage. As soon as the actors came on stage, I almost felt as though I was invading their personal space.

This production immediately surprised me. It was definitely something I could relate to, seeing as not only am I roughly the same age as the characters, but obviously all of the students in this program have been in many departure lounges recently during this rather transitory stage of our lives. Some of us are getting ready to leave college and some of us are only halfway done, but either way we are in London far away from everything we are used to, just like the characters. I enjoyed that the story line was something I could so closely relate to.

Another aspect of this play I really enjoyed was the flashbacks. The juxtaposition of what was currently happening on stage with what was happening internally with the characters was fascinating. We do not ever get a feeling that we know exactly what happens with Sophie, since the characters remark a number of times, “This isn’t how it happened!” and she points out that it is their flashback, not hers.

The character of Sophie fascinated me as well. In the minds of the boys, she is depicted as an amazing girl who has managed to get Russ’s attention as well as Pete’s virginity. When we finally see her depicted in reality at the airport, she seems ditzy and shallow; she is not at all the amazing girl she has been made out to be in the minds of the boys. I liked the way they changed the way she was presented throughout the production and how she interacted in the flashbacks of the other characters, taunting them with their vices and secrets.

Obviously this production was a musical. The songs in the play were very well performed and catchy as well! I liked the way the songs also revealed the characters’ inner monologues, which allowed the audience to closer relate to the characters and see exactly what was going on in their heads. Usually when we see people sitting at the airport, we see them primarily as people just waiting to get on a plane; we have no idea what is going on in their heads and what struggles they might be facing. I liked the fact that this play really engages with the fact that everyone is struggling with something, even when it may appear as though everything is all right on the outside.

One of the things that especially struck me about the music was the way the instruments interacted with the play. I completely forgot for most of the play that there were two other people that were always on stage that were not part of the story at all; the guitar players. They were dressed in pilots’ outfits, obviously to go along with the setting of the play in an airport, and they also had sunglasses on the entire time, which served to keep their identity hidden, as they were not central characters in the play. However, without them, the play would definitely have not been the same. They did just as excellent of a job as the main actors did in the play.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this play to people who are looking for a night out in London. It was funny, sad, and easy to relate to. The acting was superb and the story line was very interesting. I would even see this play again!

-Kate Riehle, UCLA