Here On The Flight Path At The Lighthouse Festival
The Lighthouse Festival in Port Dover has another hit on its hands with the revival of Norm Foster’s 1997 comedy, Here on the Flight Path.
John Cummings (Reid Janisse), a 40-something divorcé who writes a newspaper column called “Cummings and Goings,” lives on the top floor of The Aurora where he has a lovely flat with a terrace that overlooks the city. Next door is a matching terrace divided only by the lowest of walls, so John has ample opportunity to get to know his neighbours.
Fortunately for John, the next door flat gets rented to a series of attractive women. Unfortunately for John, none of them stay long.
Those comings and goings allow John to discover things about himself while allowing Foster to explore one of his favourite topics: the sometimes comical inadequacies of the Canadian male as he struggles to negotiate some sort of modus vivendi with the Canadian female.
Adding to the fun of Here on the Flight Path is the fact that all of John’s neighbours are played by Julia Dyan.
Fay is a high-priced call girl who gives John the unwonted opportunity to have a woman as just a friend. Angel is a ditzy young thing from Alberta who brings out John’s paternal side, such as it is. Gwen, who is about John’s age, has left her husband in Vancouver and offers John a chance to, perhaps, rediscover romance.
A set up like that gives Foster ample opportunity to crack wise as he rubs his characters together to produce sparks. Foster fans can rest assured that Here on the Flight Path produces the usual quota of laugh out loud moments.
I did notice two gags that were borrowed from other sources, but most of the hilarity is vintage Foster.
It turns out that Angel, who seeks a career in musical comedy, can’t sing worth a lick. John tries to be encouraging, helping her prepare for auditions at the risk of great physical harm. Eventually, she lands a role in a musical version of “Moby Dick,” which closes after two performances. Still, John tries to be supportive. “There’s always country music!”
A moment in which Gwen uses her experience as a driving instructor to critique John’s lovemaking is pure comic gold. “Next time, remember to see if someone’s coming before you pull out.”
John narrates the comings and goings on the flight path and Janisse makes him a most sympathetic host. He has a deft way with a comic line and a sense of timing that reminded me of Bob Newhart.
Dyan does a bang up job of bringing to life Fay, Angel, and Gwen. When she appeared as Angel I didn’t realize it was the same actress! Even after I had consulted the programme at intermission I was impressed by how she made night and day distinctions among her roles. In a typical Foster twist she even throws in a wordless walk on to bring down the final curtain.
Of course, a Foster comedy demands the eagle eye and taut reins of a good director and Derek Ritschel has obviously done his work well. By the way, Ritschel is also a gifted comic actor. He almost stole the show last season in Lakefront, also at the Lighthouse.
Set designer Eric Bunnell has provided a handsome set that my companion remarked would make an ideal setting for Noel Coward’s Private Lives. The costumes by Alex Amini are spot on and I’m guessing she also looked after Dyan’s wigs, which are perfect.
So is there a happy ending for John in Here on the Flight Path? My lips are sealed, but I will not be the first to note that there is often a slight undercurrent of sadness in even the funniest Norm Foster comedy.
And what’s with that title? We learn that The Aurora is just five miles from an airport and we periodically hear the roar of aircraft, but nothing too deafening. Dusting off my BA in English, I will hazard a guess that the title serves as something of a metaphor for the comings and goings (there’s that phrase again!) of our lives as we learn important lessons on the flight path of life.
Here on the Flight Path continues at the Lighthouse Festival in Port Dover through September 13, 2025 and then transfers to their sister theatre in Port Colborne where it will run from September 17 through 28, 2025. For more information and to purchase tickets visit the Lighthouse Festival website.
Footnote: There is a fun backstory to Here on the Flight Path. In a programme note Norm Foster tells us “I wrote Here on the Flight Path with the idea that my wife, Janet Monid, and I could take it on the road somewhere and take our two young children along with us. … We toured it from Ontario down as far as Georgia in the United States. It was a great way to see that part of the world.”
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