Two brothers, dropping from the sky, suddenly see their lives flash before them. At least that's the structural premise of 90 minutes of breathtaking funny business that received its mainstage premiere on Friday at Theatre Calgary. Stunningly imaginative in conception, and every bit as striking in execution, the Realwheels production of Skydive -- written for Realwheels by Vancouver playwright Kevin Kerr and directed by Roy Surette and Stephen Drover -- deftly weaves together the imagery and images of falling (with just the right dose of some well-chosen '80s classic rock for a soundtrack) to take us on a hilarious and wildly clever ride through shared memory and the crazy world of dreams.

Theatre-goers who crowded the Max Bell Theatre for the final preview on Thursday loved it.

Who wouldn't?

As one of the actors summed up the show in an interview earlier this week, "It gets people laughing and it gets them to open up their heart -- which we massage and squeeze a little bit."

The story begins with Morgan (played by James Sanders) and his brother Daniel (Bob Frazer) jumping out of a plane and doing a few skydive moves to the sound of Judas Priest's You've Got Another Thing Comin.'

When a tug on the parachute strap doesn't produce the expected result for one of the free-fallers, we're taken back in time to see how the two men reached the point where they decided to jump out of a plane in the first place.

In the first flashback, for example, we learn that Morgan has adopted the role of therapist in an effort to coax his introverted brother into becoming more assertive. When Daniel confesses to dreams of falling, Morgan proposes what he calls "para-therapy" -- therapy through skydiving.

"'Para' means beyond, and you're wearing a parachute," Morgan tells the unconvinced and often incredulous Daniel. "It works on multiple levels."

The need for Daniel to confront his fears ("release his psychic cramps and spiritual kinks," his brother says) through skydiving becomes almost a mantra of Morgan's until Daniel -- who has grown progressively more in control as the comedy unfolds -- finally takes the initiative, late in the play.

Until Skydive's final defining moment, however, we are treated to everything from Daniel's infatuation (and the challenges thereof) with a seven-foot kindergarten teacher he met online -- "taller than Master-Blaster in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome," Daniel tells the astonished Morgan -- to rummaging around in the basement of their childhood and arguing over ownership of a doll-size replica of the Six Million Dollar Man.

Which leads to Daniel's accusation that Morgan tricked him into thinking the purple goo in a Stretch Armstrong doll was the same stuff as in a Turkish Delight chocolate bar.

Other highlights in a beautifully composed show, that took almost constant flight from two precisely manipulated ES Dance Instruments (an ingenious pole-and-fulcrum apparatus with the capability of precise rotation around the pole's axis), included:

Daniel's Lucid Dream Glasses, prescribed and modified by Morgan (the flashing LEDs "as a clue inside your dream which let you know you're dreaming," he explains to Daniel). Or the razzed karaoke segment (The

Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams), or the high school pageant lip-synch number (Madonna's Like a Prayer) with surprise back-up choreography from the four dance instrument operators themselves.

Or the shared dream, with action figures, that leads to a false awakening -- which in turn takes them to where they left off in their fall.

bclark@theherald.canwest.com\

Review

Theatre Calgary presents Skydive by Kevin Kerr through Nov. 2 at the Max Bell Theatre. Tickets: Ticketmaster, or call 403-294-7447.

Audience advisory: Some strong language.

Rating 4 1/2 out of five