Philip King wrote See How They Run in 1942 and 1943; it opened in London as Christmas entertainment on December 21, 1944. Two weeks later, it moved to the Comedy Theatre in the West End to rave reviews. Opening night, three V-1 flying bombs exploded nearby.
Fortunately no explosions were heard at PowPAC last week when we viewed the current production. Raylene J. Wall directs an experienced cast in the farce, which, despite much dated language, still elicits laughs.
The action takes place in the living room of a vicarage in Merton-Cum Middlewick, the home of The Reverend Lionel Toop (Christopher Armour) and his lovely American wife, Penelope (Carolyn E. Wheat), a former actress. Ida (Holly Stephenson) is the maid. She's short a few marbles but has a lovely sense of humor. She inadvertently causes everybody a few problems.
As with just about any parish in the world, there is at least one first-class malcontent. In Merton-Cum Middlewick it is one Miss Skillon (the hilarious Kate Hewitt). Although somewhat limited in dialogue, Miss Skillon certainly isn't limited in action...well, except when she's drunk on the floor or stuffed into a closet.
An old theater friend of Penelope, Lance-Corporal Clive Winton (Rob Conway) visits. The plot thickens when he exchanges his uniform for Reverend Toop's second-best suit so he and Penelope can go to the theater in a militarily-off-limits town close by. While there is nothing more than a long friendship between the two, people infer more.
As with comedies of this period, misunderstandings run rampant. Chaz Close, as an intruder, is represented as The Reverend Arthur Humphrey (Joel Colbourn), Penelope's uncle. Then, of course, the real Reverend enters. Confusion becomes more intense as The Bishop of Lax (Vet Woolf), an early house guest, complicates issues. The final player is one Sergeant Towers (Lucinda Moaney) whose purpose is to make sense out of nonsense.
PowPAC consistently creates sets that are "move-in" quality. Designers Joel Colbourn and Raylene J. Wall created an elegant room with a garden exterior as well as interior adjacent rooms and the plot-thickening closet. Sound and lighting designers Carolyn E. Wheat and Christopher DeArmond complement the production. Donna Reed's costumes feel authentic.
There are some nice alliterations and wordplay (most enjoyable: "Don't bicker, Vicar!").
