See How They Run

Synopsis

Farcical goings-on at Merton-cum-Middlewick vicarage. What happens when a vicar goes away, leaving his ex-actress wife to entertain a former colleague who has to dress up in her husband's clothes, and they're spotted by a nosy parishioner who reads too much into what she sees? And when the wife's uncle, a bishop, mistakes the colleague for her husband, and an escaped prisoner breaks into the house and also dresses up as a reverend, will the real vicar be able to disentagle fact from farce on his return?

Our Review:

19 December 2008

Every Christmas, while other theatres fill with dames and beanstalks, the Royal Exchange always proudly provides an alternative to pantomime. Previous years have seen gentle comedies like Harvey and Cyrano de Bergerac, delighting audiences.

This year, the Exchange has followed a different path and produced a riot of slapstick and physical comedy in the shape of Philip King's See How They Run. It might not have the eloquence of Cyrano, but it is certainly no less funny or engaging.

The story is convoluted and confusing, as you would expect from a farce. Set during World War II it includes a vicar, his wife, the village busy-body, a bishop, a visiting soldier, the maid, another vicar, another soldier and an escaped German prisoner-of-war. I won't reveal any more except to say that yes, there are scenes with a vicar in his underwear, and yes, there is a cupboard for people to hide in. It is fantastic knockabout stuff that keeps the audience laughing, g...

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Latest User Review

Nicki Wilkes - 26 January 2009:

One of the best plays i have seen in a very long time. Shame it had to close....

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