See How They Run

Farce is a theatre genre which I very much like – the hero of my youth was Brian Rix!

This was an excellent production with all the classic farce ingredients timed to perfection – lots of doors, mistaken identities, loss of both trousers and dignity with a whole shed load of vicars and bishops and even a former actress as the main vicar’s wife; the farceur’s dream!

This was a well designed set with period furniture and costumes which very much set the atmosphere of a country vicarage in the late years of WW2.

This production maintained a cracking pace throughout. Initially a seemingly typical day at the vicarage with the frosty grand dame parishioner – nothing stronger than tea ever passed her lips (Sue Hirst), complaining to the Revd Toop (Frank Bardsley) that his new and flighty wife, Penelope (Sue Briggs) had usurped grand dame from arranging the Harvest Flowers and furthermore she wanted to report that flighty wife had been whistled at by a soldier in the village – disgraceful conduct for a Vicar’s wife, but what could one expect from an actress!

The above trio with Ida the maid (Claire Martin) and the afore mentioned whistling soldier (Neil Mather), who turns out to be the former stage partner of flghty wife, held the bulk of Act 1 superbly well, setting up Act 2 for the farce to go into top gear with grand dame experiencing brandy for the first time when she saw flighty wife and the soldier cum actor rolling on the floor – all perfectly innocent even though it did not look it. Some nice cameos introduced in the second act including the rather naive young guest preacher (Lee Sanderson) for the following morning’s service whose training had certainly not covered brandy soaked grand dames. A second cameo from the  Bishop of Lax (Mark Hague) and Uncle to flighty wife. He had never met his niece’s reverend husband and assumed that either the guest vicar or the soldier (now in dog collar) was he before final identities were established. By the way did I mention the escaped German prisoner of war (Greg Muscroft) who also donned holy orders for a period and the Sergeant Major (Mark Stones) who shouts? No – well I am sure you get the picture by now.

A great night’s entertainment and delighted at the end to be able to present the trophies to the Players for winning both the Poster and Basic Programme sections of the NE Programme and Poster Competition – congratulations. 

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