Alan Francois
posted 5 October 2007

An Englishman, Frenchman and American are stranded at an airport. Business starts like a joke and ends with a groan, without even reaching a punchline. Excellent performances and moments of surreal theatricalism cannot prevent this dissection of national stereotypes and lifestyles from looking like a tired cliché itself. However, if you’re into the current trend of USA-bashing you’ll certainly enjoy the production, and there’s no direct reference to a certain breed of manicured dog sporting a bouffant hairdo.

Tony is desperate not to miss the match. Hervé is laid back, free-spirited and a fashion photographer. Patrick is a corrupt puritan, squirming at the mere mention of a female mammary gland. Did you guess which nationality was which? Patrick reveals his corruption right from the start, so the audience don’t even get a chance to suspect and improperly label him. So the three begin the play, stuck in the business lounge and things start off rather enjoyably as the characters are forced to mingle, challenging stereotypes. The scenes are interspersed with segments of surreal sound, projected images and exaggerated movement. The play proceeds in this fashion until just before the interval, promising something dramatic in the second half, only to return to more of the same, until the ‘shock’ ending.

While the play aims to show the three foreigners the common ground they share, without an actual plot there is a distinct lack of drama, tension or suspense. What we’re left with is a series of conversations and while mildly interesting, the characters are so stereotypical that no surprises arise in the slightest. There’s only one character that actually goes through any real development. What are we led to consider? What is more important than business? The focus instead is more on whether the British need to be less stiff and more open, whether Americans should try not to be the scum of the earth and whether the French should… well the French character doesn’t actually seem to have any faults, shrugging off any reproaches with stereotypical superiority. And as a stereotypical Brit, I find that tremendously annoying.

The surreal segments are too short to do anything but baffle for a couple of seconds and a 'Globalisation' projection sequence reminds me of a student art project, perhaps on purpose, but ultimately it is unsurprising and uninspiring. The acting is surely the production’s greatest strength, as the three actors perfectly fit their roles (perhaps even too easily), and are well directed to fill the space emphatically with their presence, with memorable performances especially in Allen Lidkey’s whining Patrick as he goes into meltdown.

The show could have been better, and as it stands, while not exactly a comedy as proclaimed, it is a somewhat amusing yet minor dissection of stereotypes in an almost preaching tale of how to live your life. If you’re French, though, you undoubtedly have nothing to learn.

Till 21 October 2007