See How They Run

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Comedy closed 28 October 2006

Duchess Theatre Catherine Street, London

See How They Run is set in rural England during the Second World War. It is here, in the idyllic village of Merton-cum-Middlewick, where the village inhabitants are preparing themselves for the imminent threat of Nazi invasion. Miss Skillon, the resident nosy-parker and spinster, becomes convinced that her beloved vicar's actress wife is having an affair and attempts to expose her. Add an escaped German prisoner of war, a handsome actor, the visiting Bishop of Lax, a rotund locum priest and some meddling neighbours and See How They Run has all the ingredients for a classic British comedy.

This production of See How They Run is directed by Douglas Hodge and comes into London's West End following a regional tour. The cast includes Nicholas Blane, Nancy Carroll, Adrian Fear, Natalie Grady, Julie Legrand, Chris MacDonnell, Nicholas Rowe, Jo Stone-Fewings and Tim Pigott-Smith.

"Douglas Hodge's hilarious pacy revival is frantically funny, old fashioned escapism... this divine comedy of errors" The Mail On Sunday

"More than 60 years after it was first performed, Philip King's wartime comedy See How They Run seems as fresh, ingenious and delightful as ever. It may set out to do no more than entertain, but it does so with exemplary panache. And there is a kind of heroism about a play written in the dark days of the Second World War that has absolutely no ambition beyond reducing an audience to a state of blissful hilarity. See How They Run is in a great tradition of benign British comedy... That fine actor Douglas Hodge directs a smashing production, combining King's great script with a succession of clever sight gags and physical theatre stunts of his own devising... Pure pleasure from start to finish." The Daily Telegraph

"A classic British stage comedy - A constant delight" The Sunday Express

"War informs the subtext, if not the subject matter, of lots of theatrical fare... it gets a more light-hearted treatment in this classic Philip King farce, first performed in 1944. Here, England is a green and pleasant land populated by buttoned-up vicars and frustrated spinsters, Nazis are barking, goose-stepping figures of fun and the simple presence of a man in the house with a married woman whose husband is away is considered scandalous. The piece is creakily oldfashioned, yet its dramatic mechanism is still in working order, and Douglas Hodge's production for the Touring Partnership keeps it well oiled. The occasional awkward moment of staging aside, the action is choreographed with skill, and a likeable cast bring sparkle and energy to King's decidedly uncomplicated characters." The Times

"Pure theatrical energy... hilariously funny" The Scotsman

Philip King's See How They Run was first staged in London at the Comedy Theatre in January 1945 where it provided the perfect escapist entertainment during Britain's darkest hour, and run for nearly 600 performances. With four vicars and a bishop famously making an appearance on stage at the same time, this is the original 'English Vicar' play. It went on to provide the inspiration for that much-loved TV comedy, Dad's Army.