BWW Reviews: SEE HOW THEY RUN at Encore Theatre Company

There is a huge difference between unbridled enthusiasm and the completely undisciplined free-for-all on display in Encore Theatre Company's production of Philip King's classic stage comedy See How They Run. Clearly, the cast's overzealous approach to the show was warmly received by a large part of the audience (many of whom leapt to their feet at curtain to give the actors an ovation), but there is no doubt many people left the theater, scratching their heads and wondering, "what the hell was that all about?"

Directed by Joel Meriwether, See How They Run comes across as an unfocused jumble to conflicting ideas, poorly staged pratfalls and unchoreographed mayhem that very easily could have led to serious injuries among the cast members. You think Spiderman on Broadway is dangerous? Well, you should have seen the melee taking place on a stage in Mt. Juliet for some really scary moments.

While the motives behind the pratfalls and physical comedy were probably pure, they were obviously ill-founded. King's chestnut of the play remains popular among theater companies and audiences because it's genuinely funny and it exemplifies the very best of British farce. The play is peopled by likable, if somewhat daft, characters who are completely believable and accessible, yet they find themselves - through extraordinary events - in the midst of some wildly unbelievable circumstances. Somewhere along the way, someone (Was it the director or the actors? Who can tell from the vantage point of the back row of the audience?) lost sight of the purpose of performing a timeless and time-honored comedy script. By failing to trust that script and by failing to trust that the audience would get it, the production was sunk by the weight of the unfocused ideas expressed onstage.

Of course, some of the onstage hijinks may well have worked but who could tell? Sightlines in the theater are horrid: The rows of seats are all on the same level and the playing area isn't raised enough so that the action could be seen. With so much physical comedy (though I use that term loosely; fists to the groin aren't really that funny, while sophomoric and sexually suggestive positions get really tiresome really quickly) taking place onstage and the lack of fight choreography (which easily could have resulted in serious injury to The Players), someone needs to ensure that the audience can actually see what's going on, particularly when the lines become almost unintelligible when shouted in bad British accents. As a result, the plot is difficult to follow and if you aren't familiar with the script, you leave the theater assuming the show is about a bunch of Brits shouting and running around a lot - which really isn't all that entertaining or interesting.

Among the cast members, Sara Dhom (as pent-up spinster Miss Skillon), Tim Bush (as The Bishop of Lax) and Amber Boyer (as Ida, the maid) prove most successful, delivering focused performances despite all the hullabaloo going on around them. Lauren Atkins (as Penelope Toop) insists on using a British accent despite the fact that her character grew up in America; C. Shawn Birmingham (as Clive) fails to convey any of his character's charm; and Mitchell Blankman (as Reverend Toop) is all over the map with his over-the-top performance.

The production's obvious star is the gorgeous set design (credit is given in the program to Joel Meriwether and Jaymes Campbell for set design and to Abby Waddoups for scenic design), which is an excellent evocation of a vicarage in an English country village (kudos to Elizabeth Hayes and Mary Corby for their sumptuous set dressing).

- See How They Run. By Philip King. Directed by Joel Meriwether. Presented by Encore Theatre Company, Mt. Juliet. February 25-March 6. For for information about the company, visit their website at www.encore-theatre-company.org.