Review By Front Row Reviewers Staff
There is nothing better than outdoor comedies in the park in the summertime and there is no better offering for this than Bluffdale Arts‘ See How They Run at Bluffdale City Park. This show is soon to close, so make sure you get to experience all the fun this British comedy brings.
The set, decorated by Kelly Checketts, Julie Fox, and Chelsea Ottoson is the first thing we see in this outdoor theater. I am impressed at how cozy these three have made a stage that opens to a vast park area. A front room (or “lounge” as they say in England) is where See How They Run is performed. The set is just so comfy, familiar, and a little quirky. Its lovely setting made me eager to see what would happen once the cast set foot on it.
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Director Peter Johnson made an excellent directorial decision that I particularly like. In his Director’s Notes he says: See How They Run the brilliant script from playwright Phillip King based in a fictional village vicarage in England in 1943. The production was first shown during WW2 to the delight of audiences. It was later re-written to occur in 1946 and some of the characters were changed to be American/Russian to reflect the
change in times. We decided to run the original version and it was a pleasure to bring it out of the
cupboard, among the many other things you’ll see come out of the cupboard in this
show! Farces have always held a special place for me and See How They Run is one
of the best out there! The fast-paced action of this show, mistaken identities, and near
misses with many entrances and exits makes this a true comedy of errors.
Erin Jones as Penelope Toop, gleams and glimmers as a former actress, and now she enjoys her marriage to her sweet and somewhat vanilla husband Rev. Lionel Toop, played by Jason Bills. Their billing and cooing is adorable and surprisingly, enviable. One wouldn’t think an actress and a vicar could hit it off, but Jones and Bills fit the bill. (A few farcy puns there.) The Toops employ Ida, the Cockney maid who has some street smarts but is rather wide-eyed. Kris Matthews as Ida supplies some of the numerous comedy moments with such aplomp, one would think she really is from England’s West End. Ida pops in and out throughout See How They Run just in time to supply the audience with a few laughs, and then goes back to her dusting and cleaning. Amy Garrard’s snippy and snipey Miss Skillon, a gossipy judgmental member of Rev Toops’ flock arrives to the parish home on her bike (reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz‘s Amira Gulch who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West?). Skillon arrives as usual to crab about Penelope’s foray into sheer embarrassment and disaster. Garrard is funny, but it’s also very easy to dislike her. It’s not always easy to be the comedic foil, but this actress pulls it off grandly.
Rev Toops departs for the night, opening the door for the real fun to begin. Penelope’s actor friend Lance-Corporal Clive Winton (Eric Townsend) comes by soon after the vicar leaves to attend a play they had once both starred in, though Clive is breaking the Army’s rules to be out after curfew. To avoid getting caught, he dons the “costume” of the vicar’s suit and dog-collar, confident he can pass for the visiting vicar Arthur Humphey (Brett Davis). Townsend is great as the friendly actor/officer and there is never a hint of hanky panky between him and Penelope. These two players show that platonic friendship in a winning and believable way. Davis is fun-loving and he and Jones fall into easy conversation about their days treading the boards, as real actors often do.
This is where things get sticky and very, very funny. Skillon comes back with no invitation so the actor friends are not aware of her presence. The two players think it would be fun to re-enact the fight scene from their last play they performed in and clock Skillin in the head. She drops to the floor in a heap and a thump, very effectively done by Garradd. (Is this story ever going to end? Answer: Not yet.)
Aghast that Mr. and Mrs. Toops have come to blows (she KNEW something was up with those two) Miss Skillon gets dead drunk on a bottle of cooking sherry and passes out. Garrard has now fallen down twice, not an easy thing to do once but difficult to be believable twice, and a horrified Ida stuffs the old biddy in the closet. A German spy aka Man (Thomas Cornaby) lurks outside of the house just as Lionel returns and is knocked out by the escaped spy, who then dresses as the vicar to make his getaway. Cornaby is realistically sneaky, to add to the confusion.
So let’s back up. There are two disguised vicars, and two people getting clonked. Keeping these scenes tight and funny, Director Johnson’s cast is tight and invested. Each actor has completely immersed themselves in their characters so even though we are watching something that happened in the 20th Century, it provides laughs in 2024. Penelope’s uncle, the Bishop of Lax (Ryan Croker), and the real Humphrey unexpectedly show up early. One, two, three four men are clothed in clerical garb and before you know it, all of them are running around, providing hilarity for the audience. All the “vicars” keep their own characters distinct and understandable and we easily keep track of who is chasing who. The police sergeant In the end, Sgt. Towers (Amos Omer) jumps in to save the day, searching for the spy but finds the four men of the cloth, most of whom look completely baffled.
The end is a laugh fest and I’m not going to give it away except to say that one more person is thumped in the head again.
See How They Run is a funny show, a farce, and the mistaken identity plot is always humorous, but it takes a talented group of actors and a savvy Stage Manager (Rebecka Gaither) to keep this show hopping and we see a rollicking lot of fun from start to finish. Sound/Lights Technician Karla Zimmerman gives the show its sparkle, which is something in a stage and audience area that is so wide.
You know what’s one of the best parts in this fun activity? It’s free! All this whirlwind of funny with no price tag. A very nice gift from Bluffdale Arts Program.
Bluffdale Arts Program presents See How They Run, book by Phillip King.
Free popcorn to be handed out at intermission. Folding chairs are provided, but you can bring your own camping chairs or blankets to sit on the grass if you would like to as well!
Bluffdale City Park, 2400 14400 S, Bluffdale, UT 84065
June 28-29, July 1, 2024
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