Review: SEE HOW THEY RUN at Vagabond Players Confuses and Amuses

A farce should be full of slamming doors, confusion and missed opportunities. Because of this, you need a stage that's can accommodate the action and actors that understand exactly what's happening at every point, even if the characters they're playing do not. In the case of SEE HOW THEY RUN playing at Vagabond Players, you have the makings of everything that creates a great farce, even if you don't have the best script.

The source material is the problem in this show. The actors performed admirably and hilariously given what they had to work with, but they couldn't overcome the play's problems. In good farces, such as BOEING, BOEING or NOISES OFF, there's a reason for the action. The missed opportunities are a result of some action that's happened on stage. In SEE HOW THEY RUN, all of the missed opportunities seem missed just to move the plot along. Another issue that is hard to overcome is the language of the play, which is set in 1940s England. Of course, most farces were written during this time period, however some of the jokes are a bit insensitive and therefore fell a bit flat.

But I can't say that it was all bad. The actors performed the material valiantly. Farces tend to get extreme in the mad-cap-ness, and SEE HOW THEY RUN is no different. Each actor seemed to see each chess piece on the board, so to speak, and was able to make a not so great script, sing. I'm assuming each cast member has some previous experience with comedy, because each is gifted with the jokes and the "swinging doors." As with most plays of this nature, a lot of the comedy comes from what's not said out loud, but is conveyed with just a simple facial expression. Those moments in this show really sang. With an exasperated eye roll or cringe, each actor was able to convey exactly what they were feeling much to the audience's delight.

Another positive of this particular production is the staging itself. For such a tiny theater, they were able to work in the doors, and furniture that made the action seem plausible. The actors had places to duck out of sight, as well as closets to hide in, which were all needed at one point or another. This particular staging even has a workable staircase, so characters can hide upstairs, as well. It really is quite remarkable. I found myself trying to guess which door or which chair, each character would use to their advantage at any given time, which I suppose is what you're supposed to be doing in this type of show.

A show like this is difficult to produce under the best of circumstances. Mapping where characters are at any given time, conveying emotion without speaking, and working in tight spaces are all things that need to be taken into consideration. And while the script may be less than stellar, the entire production team manages to pull off all of the intricacies of a farce beautifully.