REVIEW Charming 'Path' leaves a cozy, warm feeling

The cast makes the characters seem quite real and believable.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NILES -- Trumbull New Theatre has switched gears for the summer.
After their last production, the wickedly funny "The Lion in Winter," their next offering is light and sweet. "Here on the Flight Path" is a poignant romantic comedy that takes place near an airport in Toronto. It is about a newspaper columnist, John Cummings, and his relationships with the three women that move in and out of the apartment next to him within three-and-a-half years. The women all move on, and everyone becomes a new and better person after their encounter.
It would be easy to stereotype these characters and play them over the top, but the skill of the cast and director Ben Gavitt keeps them all very real, very believable and pleasingly human. This charming play will leave you feeling warm and cozy inside.
What it's about
Cummings (Tomas Burd) is divorced. And it's been a while since he's had a relationship, so his first reaction to each of these women is a driving desire to get them into bed. In between the dialogue, Cummings gives these soliloquies, which begin as rather perverted, brainless male philosophies that change and mature with each woman. At first, he says he doesn't believe in a marriage license, and that relationships should come with a lease instead. But in the end, he finds that what he really does want is a meaningful commitment.
Fay (Margie King) is the first woman. Cummings soon realizes that she is a high-class call girl. She tells him at first she is a "consultant, who raises the morale" of her clients. She has moved around a lot because she is thrown out of apartments when the landlord finds out what she does. Cummings vows to keep her secret, and begins to like -- and even admire -- her. They become great friends, and through Cummings' encouragement, Fay decides to follow her dream.
Angel Plunkett (Maria Alana Wright) is a little rich country girl from Alberta, coming for the first time to the big city to make it as an actress-singer. She thinks Cummings is really old (age 46), and brags that she is experienced, because she's "done it" with four different guys. After months of fruitless auditioning, she finally lands a part in a really bad musical remake of "Moby Dick," which closes after two days. Disaster strikes at home, so she leaves, but soon after, Cummings learns that she really does become a star.
A realization
Gwen (Amy Burd), who is separated from her husband, moves in next, and does eventually have a relationship with Cummings. She finally decides to go back home to where her life and friends are, but this departure seems to stab Cummings harder than the others. He begins to realize that what he needs is a long-term commitment to a woman, or else to give them up altogether, and finally write that novel that he's had written in his head for years.
The play opens to the public tonight, and runs Fridays and Saturdays for two weekends only, at 8 p.m. For tickets, call (330) 652-1103.