Tony nominee Barbara Walsh (Falsettos, Company) will star as Jan in the world premiere of Bonnie’s Last Flight by Eliza Bent. Set entirely on an airplane, the new comedy invites its audience on a theatrical trip divided into three parts: sitting on a tarmac before take-off, floating at cruising altitude, and buckling down for the wild and rocky descent back to land.
Bonnie’s Last Flight will debut Off-Broadway as part of Next Door at New York Theatre Workshop. Directed by Annie Tippe (Ghost Quartet), the production will begin performances February 8 at Fourth Street Theatre, where it is scheduled to run through March 2.
Read: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NEXT DOOR AT NYTW
In Bonnie’s Last Flight, shortly after liftoff, we learn that it’s Jan’s final retirement flight. Everyone on board knows, except for Greig, Jan’s best friend and trusted co-worker of decades. As Greig waxes nostalgic, Jan worries about life post-retirement. LeeAnne, a klutzy newbie flight attendant with a dark past, must avoid her ex who’s also on board. The captain, a waggish pilot with a weakness for unlimited Bloody Mary brunches, is caught in a love triangle, and Erik, the co-pilot with a heart of gold, can’t get a word in edgewise.
Completing the cast are Ceci Fernandez (Tiny Beautiful Things) as LeeAnne, Federico Rodriguez (Selkie, The Hotel Colors) as Co-Pilot, Greig Sargeant (Elevator Repair Service, Target Margin Theater) as Greig, Sam Breslin Wright (Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play; The Temperamentals) as Pilot, and Foxy Le Corgi as Bonnie. Bent will make a special appearance as Mark Twain.
Bent is a writer and performer whose work includes last year's critically acclaimed Aloha, Aloha, or When I Was a Queen. She performed in Anne Washburn’s Little Bunny Foo Foo at Actors Theatre of Louisville, and her play, On a Clear Day I Can See to Elba, received a staged reading at the Atlantic Theater Company.
The production team for Bonnie’s Last Flight is made up of Meredith Ries (scenic design), Oona Curley (lighting design), John Gasper (sound design), David Pym (video design), Heather McDevitt Barton (costume design), Rhys Roffey (props design), Bob Brownell (production stage manager), Emma Johnson (production manager), Megan Lang (master electrician), Caroline Gart (producer), and Ryan Gedrich (producer).
The world premiere is presented by The Habitat and Bentertainment, in association with Gedrich. For tickets and more information visit NYTW.org.
