Bernard, a French architect, juggles romantic relationships with three flight attendants whose flight schedules ensure that two of them are always out of town. He has their flights plotted out with such precision that he can bid one of them "bon voyage" while another is landing and the third is far, far away.

Bernard’s essential accomplice in the charade is his grumpy live-in maid, Bertha (Shannon Winpenny), who accommodates the women’s individual food preferences and changes elements of the decor as they come and go.

Bernard’s smoothly synchronized sex life is turned upside down when all three women arrive in town unexpectedly.

Welcome to French playwright Marc Camo­letti’s 1960-vintage social farce, "Boeing Boeing."

Manoa Valley Theatre guest director Elitei Tatafu Jr. doesn’t tamper with the components of Camo­letti’s story, as has been done in other parts of the world, but two key elements in the story seem driven more by the script than anything in the actors’ work onstage.

First, what is it about Bernard that makes him so irresistible to these women? MVT veteran Mathias Maas plays Bernard as a blasé white-collar schlub rather than a glamour-boy, wheeler-dealer ladies’ man.

Second, why does Robert, Bernard’s sexually inexperienced friend and temporary house guest, commit so quickly and completely to helping maintain the deception?

As with many works of fiction, one must either accept the premise and go with it — or not.

Either way, the MVT production is an impressive vehicle for Ken Roberts as the friend, Robert. His facial expressions in the scenes where Robert begins to morph from shy guy to manic conspirator show the transition occurring without a word spoken. Roberts is a masterful physical comedian as well.

Dusty Behner (Janet), Mackenzie Jahnke (Judith) and Therese Olival (Jacqueline) likewise distinguish themselves as comedians in the roles of the flight attendants. Behner is adorable as a loud American-with-a-drawl who likes tomato sauce "on everything." Jahnke makes her MVT debut memorable indeed playing a stereotypically bombastic, highly nationalistic German. Keep in mind that those two characters are Americans and Germans as seen through the eyes of the French in 1960 and the unflattering broad-brush treatments make sense.

Jahnke and Winpenny star in an early scene where the German pours out her heart to the maid and ends up climbing all over her in a nonsexual way. Winpenny’s reactions are a wonder to behold.

The energy level skyrockets after intermission. Roberts, Behner and Jahnke soar higher as expressively physical performers, and Bernard’s changing fortunes create situations that give Maas more material to work with.

Camoletti’s script includes a good number of memorable one-liners, but it was a broadly pantomimed bit about the flatulence supposedly caused by eating sauerkraut that got the loudest and longest laughter from the audience on opening night last week.