Flights of fancy

Australian stand-up comic Caroline Reid lands some satiric punches at the airline industry in her persona of air hostess Pam Ann.

By YONI COHEN
Pam Ann 370 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Pam Ann 370
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Welcome aboard, fasten your seat belts, stow your designer luggage and prepare for the flight of your life! Tel Aviv is in for a rare treat later this month when comedy sensation Pam Ann lands in town for her own unique brand of air hostess humor.
Pam Ann is the stewardess alter-ego of Australian comedienne Caroline Reid, who performs a racy stand-up show, poking fun at some of the largest airlines and the national stereotypes that go with the respective countries.
The glamorous, glitzy and hilarious Pucci-clad Pam Ann will grace the stage of the ZOA House with her unique take on the world of the trolley dolly.
Not shy of a bit of fame, the Alist air hostess to the stars has played sold-out shows on major tours throughout Europe, Canada and the US and will now bring her act to the Middle East. She once toured with Cher and crewed for Elton John; and Madonna, who is a big fan, describing Pam Ann as “cruelly funny.”
Reid has not been to Israel before but says that after living in New York and meeting so many El Al cabin crew, she feels as if she has to taste a little bit of Israel.
“In years of performing, I got to hear so much about Israel and the life over there, and I found it a great time to come visit and perform,” she says ahead of her visit.
Reid cannot contain her excitement about coming. “I want to know what I have been missing out on and why I haven’t come sooner.”
She will be in Israel for four days, “with enough time to travel a bit and meet a gorgeous Israeli man,” she says.
Audience members can expect a show tailored to Israel and all the experiences she will be going through while in the country, as well as some classic Pam Ann sketches.

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“I’m sure there will be a lot to talk about. I just hope I don’t get arrested while I’m there. Well, the thought of that is actually quite sexy,” she says with a sense of irony. “Nothing is off limits.”
Her performances are usually quite racy and mix poking fun at airline stereotypes with camp humor and sometimes audience participation. Some of Reid’s regular characters include Valerie from American Airlines, an aging Texas flight attendant accompanied by a man in an Osama bin-Laden mask; Helga from Lufthansa, who is a brash, dominating woman who barks out commands and orders; and there is an unnamed Arabic woman from Emirates Airline, who wears a chador and ski mask and talks gibberish that resembles Arabic.
Reid’s character Pam Ann has been featured in advertising campaigns for British Airways and Sky Team and appeared in promotions for KLM/Air France, British Airways, Qantas, Lufthansa, JetBlue and SAS.
Pam Ann is very a self-assured performer and is confident that the audience will leave wanting more, and she has hopes that she will be able to come back again and again.
As well as simple observations, years of flying around the world and the cabin crews she has encountered, Reid says that Dame Edna Everage, Sandra Bernhard and Joan Rivers are her biggest influences in comedy. “They push the boundaries and are fearless performers.”
While she finds inspiration from these comic greats, she insists that she has never based herself on anyone. “It’s been an organic growth.”
While Pam Ann has her own celebrity influences, she has her fair share of famous admirers. “They have been very generous, and I am very grateful to them all,” But just as important to Reid are her fans. “All my fans are my core, and I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Shows take place on March 23 at 9:30 p.m. and March 24 at 9 p.m. at ZOA House, 26 Ibn Gvirol, Tel Aviv.

Performances are in English. Not suitable for those under 18. NIS 150-190. For more information, see www.tkts.co.il, Castel-Israel.