Florida Today
Come fly with me
by Breuse Hickman, Staff
Flight attendant turns crazy career into a wacky one-woman show.
First thing you should know about Rene Foss: In her nearly 20 years working the not-always-friendly skies, the flight attendant has never dropped a bagel in first class, only to serve it three rows back in coach.
But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t met a few co-workers who might have at least thought of resorting to such time-saving measures.
Oh, and here’s a tip for new flight attendants who want to read the National Enquirer in peace after the passengers are seated.
Put the coffee drinkers to sleep by serving decaf instead of regular.
Such confessions and tips come courtesy of Foss, a flight service veteran who in 2000 parlayed her airborne experiences into a musical revue.
“Around the World in a Bad Mood” was first performed Off-Broadway and in various cities. It was later released as a book, and now Ross has updated her comic therapy sessions into a one-woman show that begins its run in Melbourne tonight at the King Center for the Performing Arts.
“It still has elements of the five-person musical, but this is not a musical,” said Foss by phone. “I’m only one person, but I have many personalities.”
Those personalities aren’t limited to her co-workers. The show takes on almost everyone who comes within a mile of an airport: Passengers, customers, ticket agents, those people who check you for nail clippers and hair pins -- no one is safe from Foss’ comedic wrath.
While flying high has long been fodder for just about every stand-up routine, few have skewered flying from the perspective of a flight attendant.
Though the show does give Foss a chance to vent, it’s all meant in good fun, she makes clear.
“It’s a spoof, but it also celebrates our jobs and our industry,” Foss said. “I believe it’s done in good taste.”
If you’ve read her book, don’t expect a word-for-word translation. Much has happened since the release of the musical and book -- namely, Sept. 11, 2002.
Gone are the jokes about terrorists being the only passengers able to freely pass through security.
“That actually happened on 9/11,” she said. “It’s no longer funny.”
That doesn’t mean security issues get a pass. Instead, the subject has been updated and translated into a game-show setting.
Foss’ foray into theater is actually her first love. When she arrived in New York City, her plan was to become an actress. But her father urged her to take a real job with benefits.
So, like her mother, a stewardess in the ’50s, Foss went to work 33,000 feet above the ground.
She’s loved almost every minute of it. That’s why, despite her theater and book success, she continues to fly.
“It’s one of those jobs, the longer you’re there, the better and easier it gets,” she said. “It’s a great system.”
Some of Foss’ biggest fans have been flight attendants. She says she can always tell when they are in the audience. But everyone who has ever flown can still relate, because the experience she talks about is universal.
“I poke fun at everyone,” she said. “Contrary to the title, it’s really not a bitter thing.”
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