A lot of talk, little action in ‘Sky Girls’

SAN DIEGO —  Women pilots flew support missions for the troops in World War II. But Congress resisted giving the “sky girls” full military status and eventually ended the program before some of the later trainees could even use their skills.

Bye, girls.

Jenny Laird’s “Sky Girls,” at the Old Globe, attempts to dramatize their tale, but it’s a historical drama in which the actual history sounds more compelling that the made-up drama.

In the tradition of such World War II-set plays as “Biloxi Blues,” Laird throws together five disparate female trainees in one bunkhouse at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas, in 1944.

Much of the action happens before the play begins. The women are trained pilots from the get-go. We don’t get much of an understanding of why they defied expectations to get their wings in the first place.

Considering how active these characters are, it’s odd that the playwright largely confines them to their living quarters. Bunks convert into cockpits only occasionally. Too much of the play consists of barracks talk.

Some of the talk is circular and repetitive. Too often, the women play a little game in which one recruit utters a supposedly profound quote about flying, and the others have to guess who said it. This is the kind of material that belongs in program notes, not in the dialogue.

One of the women, Bishop (Carolyn Stone), is a veteran stunt pilot. The others are more recently tutored fliers. Mags (Sarah Rafferty) is irrepressibly brash and frank. DeLang (Kristin Fiorella) is her opposite -- always wearing a perplexed yet repressed countenance. Yet we learn that DeLang has a Japanese American boyfriend with whom she exchanges haiku messages. This detail feels remarkably far-fetched.

Lil (Breean Julian) is beginning to have doubts about her engagement to a childhood friend. Breeny (Jenni-Lynn McMillin) is going out with a guy from a nearby base. These two agonize over their boyfriends.

The trainees are in stark contrast to their commander, the real-life pioneer aviator Jackie Cochran (Judith Hawking), who occasionally drops in on the sky girls -- especially Bishop, whom she has known since Bishop was 9 years old.

In a printed interview, Laird said she originally saw Cochran as a “spirit-like figure,” but she finally decided to flesh her out. Unfortunately, despite a salty performance by Hawking, Laird hasn’t finished the job. A lot of details about Cochran still seem hazy, such as passing references to a rich husband.

Cochran spends much of the first act testifying to congressmen (male voice-overs) on behalf of full military status for her fliers. But that dispute ends with the first act, defusing a primary source of tension.

No men appear on stage, probably because Laird doesn’t want distractions from the women’s stories. Yet unseen men, particularly a nemesis officer named Peterson, play a large role in the overall narrative -- which includes rumors of sexist sabotage of the airplanes. If Peterson had an onstage presence, the clashes within the storytelling might be more dynamic.

As it is, some of the arguments and other discussions among the women feel trumped-up. Despite a well-cast troupe, under the direction of Brendon Fox, the play feels long.

The arena-style configuration of the Cassius Carter Centre Stage blocks occasional sight lines, and the space’s intimacy crimps most of the expansive feeling of flight in the few scenes when the women are actually in airplanes. Propellers whirring around a few hanging lights don’t do the job.

Still, here’s a nod for sound designer Lindsay Jones, who sends the rumble of flights across the ceiling. Also, the pre-show announcement about cellphones and cameras has been converted into a faux-’40s radio sketch that’s funnier than anything in “Sky Girls” itself.

*

‘Sky Girls’

Where: The Old Globe, Cassius Carter Centre Stage, Balboa Park, San Diego

When: Tuesdays-Wednesdays, 7 p.m.; Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2 p.m.

Ends: Feb. 15

Price: $19 to $52

Contact: (619) 234-5623

Running Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes

Judith Hawking...Jackie Cochran

Kristin Fiorella...DeLang

Breean Julian...Lil

Jenni-Lynn McMillin...Breeny

Sarah Rafferty...Mags

Carolyn Stone...Bishop

By Jenny Laird. Directed by Brendon Fox. Set by Russell Metheny. Lighting by Jennifer Setlow. Costumes by Holly Poe Durbin. Sound by Lindsay Jones. Stage manager Stephen M. Kaus.