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If only time could fly as quickly as the Skytanic, the super-speedy luxury air cruiser that serves as the setting for Celebrations' new pop-culture parody 29.
At least, that's what impatient patrons might find themselves thinking midway through this manic pastiche of spy-TV references, slapstick comedy, and of course, karaoke-style soft-rock classics.
Not because the show is boring, mind you, but because one of its gimmicks is a functioning clock -- mounted at the top of the stage -- that counts down the three 29-minute-long acts.
In theatre, you want your audience focusing on the action, not the time. And when you consider that the Celebrations' experience tends to run four hours, you can see why it might not be the best idea to keep reminding how long it is until the curtain.
Anyway, clock aside, Celebrations' latest -- a sendup of the Kiefer Sutherland espionage serial 24 -- is a fast-paced comedy that benefits from unexpected song choices and surprisingly well-prepared food.
It's the inaugural flight of the aforementioned Skytanic -- a fuel-efficient jet that takes you from gate to gate in 29 minutes -- and in typical Celebrations fashion, all manner of undesirables have managed to stow away on board.
There's Canadian Crimes Unit agent Jack Bauer (Brad Duffy) and his prisoner, the beautiful assassin Maddy Harri (Naomi Happychuk), who seems to have it in for the plane's engineer -- and soon-to-be prime minister -- Neal Nagel (Cory Hicks).
Also along for the ride? Geeky tech-expert Chloe (Shandra McQueen), who's harbouring a not-so-secret crush on Jack, just like air marshall Karen Steele (Ashley Burdett) and lounge singer Natalie (Danielle Charmaine -- and if you think they are who they say, you've clearly never seen an episode of 24).
And since Celebrations has never met a stock character it didn't like, there's also Barry Ferry, the ultra-gay flight attendant whose swishy mannerisms and double-entendres belie a plot twist you'll smell coming a mile away.
But it's the song selection that's the real hero this time -- with hits both obvious (Jet Airliner, Leavin' on a Jet Plane, Danger Zone) and unexpected (Would I Lie to You, Alive and Kicking, Neil Young's Flying on the Ground is Wrong).
Another nice surprise? The food -- in our case, cream of cauliflower soup, followed by salad, fettucini in sun-dried tomato sauce, and a mouth-watering filet mignon with veggies and new potatoes.
Usually, the food is the least memorable part of the Celebrations experience. But here, it was the star of the show -- and almost enough to distract us from that damned clock.
3.5 SUNS out of 5