“See How They Run” opened to an excited audience. The entire plot line takes place in England following WWII at a vicarage where the characters lose their minds.
The audience meets the know-it-all maid Ida, played by Stephanie Klink. She tries on many occasions to let her employers, the Toops, know all of the shenanigans going on. Out of the entire cast, she has the most comical moments as we see her shove Miss Skillon, played by Breona Hassan, into a closet multiple times as people continue to run through the house.
Miss Skillon is the village gossip. She knows everything about everyone and isn’t afraid to twist the tale on a person to suit her needs. At the beginning, she is upset with Penelope Toop, the vicar’s wife, for decorating the pulpit.
The vicarage is a busy place. Miss Skillon is drunk and on the couch and then in the closet. Penelope’s Uncle Dudley, played by Casey Williams, is the Bishop of Lax and has come to town for a visit. The Reverend Arthur Humphrey, played by Michael Chappell, comes to town to take the service on Sunday. Both characters are pulled into the craziness going on during the evening.
The most interesting relationship in the play is the one between Clive Winton, played by Jonathan Fisher, and Penelope Toop, played by Courtney Pearson. The two were on stage together before WWII broke out. Clive joined the military and Penelope married the vicar.
Throughout the entire play, Clive and Penelope are looking for Clive’s uniform that has gone missing. He is dressed like a vicar and gets confused by everyone for the vicar Lionel Toop, Penelope’s husband. At the end of Act I, Miss Skillon walks in on Clive and Penelope acting out one of their old scenes from “Private Lives,” a play they were involved in before the events on “See How They Run.” The scene they are doing is a fight scene and Miss Skillon thinks Clive is the vicar beating up his wife. Penelope accidently punches Miss Skillon in the face. As she falls to the couch, Clive and Penelope run out the door.
The vicar Lionel Toop, played by Reuben Kendall, has the most unfortunate luck in this play. Ida misunderstands his taking care of Miss Skillon after she passes out drunk for an affair, he gets attacked by a Russian communist escapee, played by Eric Brand and has his clothes stolen from him. The audience feels sorry for him, but then again, he provides so much comical entertainment that they love him.
The Russian escapee makes the show. He looks just a bit creepy in the beginning when he’s wearing his jump suit, but then his look changes as he changes. No one can place his face as he runs through the house during one of the many chase scenes. He keeps the entertainment flowing as he takes over the vicarage in hopes of being able to get away from Sergeant Towers, played by Justin Hunt.
The craziness that goes on in the play is funny and mostly wholesome. The only character who says anything different is Clive when Penelope passes out on the couch.
Insanity is the word to describe the entire play. With doors slamming, people jumping over furniture and each other and (fake) alcohol flowing left and right, the audience lost all control of their laughter.
This play is probably the best comedy/farce Vanguard has produced.
