Put down the in-flight magazine, Icelandair has invented a new way to stave off traveling boredom: live theater starring your some of flight's crew (and a few professional actors).
Earlier this month the curtain raised on a show that took place on a transatlantic trip. The three-act play, Ahead of Time, was performed by some of the crew who studied with the British immersive theater group, Gideon Reeling, in their time off. The pilot flying the plane didn't step out to traipse down the aisles in costume, but the cabin staff and other airline employees were all in on it.
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The play was essentially a drawn-out promotional piece for the airline, but was apparently entertaining enough. It delved into the airline's history starting in 1937 and moved through decades of air travel.
One reporter said the performance introduced travelers from the 1950s, hippies from the '60s, a nineties backpacker, and included stories about a famous Icelandair flight attendant.
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The experience started before take-off, continued at the gate, and ramped up while the passengers were on board and trapped in their seats.
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The crew even sang upon arrival in New York from Heathrow in London on the flight. This was a 10 hour performance essentially.
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The live theater experience is part of the airline's Stopover Pass that encourages stays in Iceland while flying to other destinations. The pass includes activities at Iceland's Keflavik International Airport and other locations in the country.
Part of the promotion is stand-up comedy, live music, and other Icelandic performances at the airport lounge. You can catch more theatrics off the plane as well, for those that enjoy theater at a lower altitude. Events continue through April.
One reporter chronicled his in-flight immersive experience for the Telegraph. He wrote, "I thought it would be awful. It wasn’t. In fact, as the actors moved around the cabin, regaling passengers with their stories, I was genuinely entertained."
Theater has reached new heights and it's apparently not as bad as you'd think.
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