See How They Run

This typically British farce was excellently written in 1943 and was initially staged to entertain the troops. It is a fast paced comedy which is timeless and can certainly still entertain it’s audiences today  with the impossibly hilarious situations.  Farce is an extremely difficult genre to produce, it has to be slick, fast paced but with incredible timing and these young students aged between 16 and 18 years  certainly pulled this off to a very high standard. 

Set in an English vicarage in the 1940’s featuring a former actress now married to a vicar, the maid, a flower arranging parishioner and a handful of other characters who all end up dressed as vicars, several of whom are not vicars at all!

The scene opened with Ida, the maid (Margot Sidebottom), she is a delightful character who keeps up her Cockney accent throughout as required by the script. However initial impressions are soon quashed as she gives an impressive performance of a very determined, strong young lady who won’t be pushed around by anyone and ends up hauling one of their visitor’s across the stage and bundles her into the wardrobe. Miss Skillon played by Darcy Green  is that visitor. She plays this teetotal, flower arranging spinster looking very much in character in her tweed suit with hat and brown lace-up shoes,  but then actually spends much of her onstage time flat out, either intoxicated or being knocked out.  She is totally believable as a lifeless body as she is hauled around the stage or into the wardrobe.  

Lucia Sanchez-Leost is the Reverend’s wife, Penelope Toop, an excitable, dramatic, character which comes across totally naturally. She becomes exasperated trying to sort out misunderstandings but the lies and deception get tangled up with the truth, leaving everyone totally confused.

Daniel Bayman is extremely well cast as The Rev. Toop, as he attempts to ensure they are seen as a respectable couple in the community but chaos quickly ensues when Corporal Clive Winton (Oscar Ward) arrives. He is an old friend of Penelope, an excellent actor (who we have now seen in several productions)  and  again this role he plays  with total conviction.  Malachi Fletcher plays the eccentric  Bishop of Lax who is absolutely perplexed by this whole confusion of characters. I have said this was a fast paced comedy and these three young men end up frantically racing around the stage, in one door, jumping over a body laying on the stage,  and out the other door. They are all impressive, full of energy and unrelenting enthusiasm. Later we see ‘The Intruder’ (Rafael Kelly) and Rev. Arthur Humphrey (Ella Ogilvie) also dressed as vicars to add to the confusion before Sergeant Towers (Charlie Harvey) tries to get to the truth.

This is a complicated plot of mistaken identities between all these vicars. Director, Ted has put together this young and very talented cast who all brought out the best of the comedy with brilliant timing. They are amazing as they maintained the tempo with the vast amounts of difficult and confusing dialogue without any hesitation. There are a couple of fight scenes involving several of the characters which are extremely convincing, well choreographed and acted. I hope the actors didn’t get too many bruises after being knocked to the ground and dragged around the stage.

The set, as always for these college productions, was ingenious. This being a box set with leather Chesterfield sofa and fireplace all looking totally authentically decorated for the period. I’m sure several of the audience along with myself were left wondering if the wardrobe had a false back when several characters were all pushed into it at the same time. It does not look big enough to hold them all!!

These young actors had obviously put a massive amount of time and energy into their demanding roles which they achieve very professionally and Director, Ted Moore along with Pip have every right to be extremely proud of their protégés. You know you have succeeded when the entire audience doesn’t stop laughing from start to finish.  Well done to you all and thank you.

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