Reliving an epic journey on a tiny stage

George Saulnier III (foreground) and Irene Daly (center) are in the Rough & Tumble production of "An Ocean of Air." (BONNIE DUNCAN)

Rough & Tumble specializes in quirky screwball comedy, but the group's latest play, "An Ocean of Air," seems like a departure. The story of the record-breaking round-the-world flight of the German Graf Zeppelin in 1929, which opens tonight at the Factory Theatre, would seem more awe-inspiring than comic.

"The passengers were definitely awed by the experience," says Rough & Tumble director and coauthor Dan Milstein, "but it was also like 'The Breakfast Club.' They're all stuck on the ship together."

Milstein's ability to find similarities between the 1985 John Hughes film about high school kids trapped in detention and a 21-day dirigible flight is typical of Rough & Tumble's style.

"The Graf Zeppelin's trip was like the first trip to the moon," Milstein says, "but the Zeppelin went right over the tops of buildings. The images of this enormous airship floating in the sky and tiny people waving to it was so fantastical, I had to find a way to tell a story about it."

Milstein and co-writer Kristin Baker started researching the story of the helium-filled passenger ship and discovered some larger-than-life characters caught up in the adventure.

"The ship carried 60 passengers," says Milstein, including a wealthy playboy, a celebrity journalist, and the colorful captain, Dr. Hugo Eckener, a former public relations man who became airship pioneer Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's protégé. Rough & Tumble focuses on half a dozen of them, with one actor playing everyone else.

The round-the-world trip was funded primarily by newspapers, so coverage in each city was extensive, says Baker. But they found the spine of their story in "Dr. Eckener's Dream Machine," author Douglas Botting's account of the 1929 trip based on recollections and reports from passengers and witnesses.

"All of the characters in our play are based on real people," says Baker, "but we made up some stuff about them. We talked a lot about the dramatic arc of the story, but finally decided to stick to the 21 days of the flight, with subplots and intrigue woven in."

Milstein and Baker often tease out plotlines and develop characters through their rehearsal process. Their creative approach has led to productions, including a play that mimics a silent movie, short pieces with gibberish for dialogue, and plays staged in the Boston Public Library and along the Freedom Trail.

"Oceans of Air" marks the 10-year-old troupe's return to the intimate Factory Theater after years of performances at the Boston Center for the Arts, a move Milstein says was deliberate.

"We want [audiences] to feel invested," Milstein says. "At the same time, we don't want them to spend much money, so the space at the Factory gives us the right feel."

The Factory's tiny stage area created some challenges in telling a story about a gigantic dirigible. "How do you capture the vastness of the exterior and the luxury of the interior when you're not interested in being literal?" Milstein says. "We decided against projections and found that sound effects are much more evocative."

What's most important, says Baker, is that the characters felt they were on the cusp of a future mode of travel. "Conveying their excitement about being a part of a very modern adventure makes the story feel fresh," she says.

Tonight-April 27. Tickets: $15. 866-811-4111, theatermania.com.

Back to 'School'

North Shore Music Theatre will replace its annual production of "A Christmas Carol" with "Disney's High School Musical 2" for the upcoming holiday season. Barry Ivan, the company's artistic director and executive producer, will direct and choreograph the show, which is adapted from the hit movie. "High School Musical 2" runs Dec. 18-Jan. 11. "A Christmas Carol" will return in 2009. Tickets go on sale April 14: $65-$79. 978-232-7200, nsmt.org

Notes

"A Journey to Kreisau," playwright Marc Smith's story of a young German couple whose home became a center of Nazi resistance, is having its Boston premiere at the Boston Playwrights' Theatre through Sunday. The production is sponsored by the German consulate in Boston; admission is free. 508-757-1472, bluepumpkinproductions.com. . . . Stoneham Theatre has extended "Sisters of Swing" through May 4 and replaced Linda Lavin's canceled performance with "Late Nite Catechism," June 12-22. Tickets for both shows: $20-$40. 781-279-2200, stonehamtheatre.org. . . . Cirque du Soleil returns to Boston Sept. 5, at the Bayside Expo Center. The new show, "Kooza," combines acrobatics, clowning, and the company's always-hypnotic musical score. Tickets on sale Sunday: $38-$125. cirquedusoleil.com