Buckle Up

Despite the show’s description, calling this airline comedy an "immersive theatrical experience" is a bit of a flight of fancy. But it is a silly, knockabout farce with a lot to love about its lo-fi charm. 

Audience members are, ostensibly, passengers on a flight with Budge-It Air. Seats are in an aeroplane configuration and action takes place along the aisle. We’re given an inflight brochure, too, which contains some endearingly crap puns as well as a word search that includes the word ‘terrorist’. The immersive element ends there. 

Cecil (the first ‘c’ is hard) is a new flight attendant. He’s also afraid of flying (it’s what his therapist calls a "face your fears" programme). When a man’s mobile phone goes off, things start to unravel. A topical political message almost starts to emerge: a hijacker, because he’s white and in a Hawaiian shirt, is not a terrorist. But this more serious theme never quite takes off.

Andrew Hollingworth and Tim Gutteridge—also directing and starring in the show—have come up with a fast-paced script full of misunderstandings and ineptitude. All the classic farce elements are there, with plenty of slapstick to boot. A few garbled lines and some off-kilter timing give the impression they’re winging it a little, but Buckle Up is a light and very likeable comedy nonetheless.