Four-time Emmy award-winning Rhea Perlman, best known for playing feisty and quick-witted waitress Carla Tortelli in the American sitcom classic Cheers, one of the most successful US sitcoms of all time, will make her London stage debut as she joins the cast of the West End hit comedy, Boeing-Boeing on 25 June to play long-suffering housekeeper Bertha. Perlman joins Adrian Dunbar, Doon Mackichan, Amy Nuttall, Elena Roger and Neil Stuke, the current cast of Boeing-Boeing, which is now booking through October 2007.

Rhea Perlman first came to the public’s attention playing opposite her husband Danny DeVito as Zena Sherman in the US sitcom Taxi. Four times Emmy winner, she was nominated an unprecedented 10 times over 11 years for playing waitress Carla Tortelli in Cheers, appearing in all 273 episodes. Perlman’s other television credits include guest appearances in St. Elsewhere, Mad About You, Ally McBeal, Fraiser, Karen Sisco and Kevin Hill, as well as Executive Producing and starring as Kate Brasher in ABC’s Pearl. Her US theatre credits include The Exonerated, The Tale of Allergist’s Wife and The Last Night in Ballyhoo. Her film credits include Matlida - in which she was directed by and co-starred opposite Danny DeVito, Sunset Park, Carpool, Canadian Bacon, Class Act and Ted and Venus. After 30 years of television, stage and film, Perlman has recently added author to her list of credits with a series of children’s books entitled Otto Phillip: Undercover.

Bernard, a successful architect living in Paris, thought he could easily cope with his three air hostess fiancées. It was all a question of timetables and his reliable, long-suffering housekeeper Bertha who reluctantly has the role of romantic air-traffic controller. When old school chum Robert arrives, Bernard relishes the chance to show his wide-eyed friend his first-class operation at work. Unfortunately, schedules change, flights are delayed and a new turbo-charged Boeing aircraft is introduced: chaos ensues in this hysterical whirl of mayhem and matchmaking.

Translated by Beverley Cross from Mark Camoletti’s original, Matthew Warchus’ production of Boeing-Boeing opened at the Comedy Theatre in February and is designed by Rob Howell, with lighting by Hugh Vanstone, original music by Claire van Kampen and sound by Simon Baker. The curtain call is devised by Bruno Tonioli. Boeing-Boeing is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, Act Productions, Matthew Byam Shaw, Robert G Bartner and Bob Boyett.

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