1 in 2 Men Think They Could Land a Plane – Could You?
Rating: ★★★★ (4/5)
Reviewed by: Katie Borland
Armed with the findings of a YouGov survey, Dan Boerman begins the hour by positing that 1 in 2 men think they could land a plane. Through the course of his part stand-up, part live-action let’s-play, he explores the validity of the statement and also the absurd hubris of all the men who make it. Not by interrogating male ego in any meaningful critical sense, but by bringing in an actual, life-size, completely accurate flight simulator and letting audience members put their confidence to the test, to naturally and serendipitously comedic results.
Right off the bat, Boerman asks if the men in the crowd think they could land a plane. Over half the men in the audience cheer in assent, supporting the claim of the study that informs the show’s title, though a single KLM Airlines pilot was the clear outlier.
Boerman has an easygoing, confident persona that makes his material feel conversational, creating a relaxed and jovial atmosphere. He covers all sorts of topics while connecting them back to the aeronautical theme at hand, ranging from hot-seated political debates to darkly humorous observations on the current state of world affairs. Despite the frenetic energy, however, there were one or two moments where I kept waiting for the material to be tied back to the rest of the show, but this never happened. I enjoyed these tangents regardless, but I felt they could’ve been woven into the main throughline a bit better.
The star of the show was the audience’s interaction with, and performance on, the titular flight-landing simulator. Despite detailed assistance from Boerman, who took the role of Air Traffic Control, there were a couple of disastrous attempts from men in the crowd which left the audience wondering if success was even achievable. Finally, and rather satisfyingly, it was a woman who managed to successfully land the plane, albeit at the expense of a few martyred trees.
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