Review: SEE HOW THEY RUN at Taproot Theatre

In a world full of conflict, division, and uncertainty, there is a lot to worry about. As the pandemic continues, we wonder if we will ever get back to normal. It's been a very hard couple of years and now more than ever, I'm feeling the need for a reprieve - just a moment to forget all of the outside problems and things beyond my control. I have a deep-seeded need to just laugh. Taproot Theatre's first show of 2022 just might be the tonic we all need. SEE HOW THEY RUN reminds us that laughter really is the best medicine.

The show centers on the young couple, Lionel Toop, the vicar, (Calder James Shilling) and his wife, Penelope Toop (Miranda Antoinette), a former American actress. Penelope has had a little trouble fitting into the life in an English village vicar's wife and has earned the ire of the town's etiquette queen, Miss Skillon (Shanna Allman). Penelope runs into an old friend from her acting days, Clive (James Shilling) who is now in the army, and they hatch a plan to go see a show that they had previously performed together. While reliving a scene from the show (which involved rolling around on the floor), they are interrupted by Miss Skillon who steps in just in time to take a left hook to the jaw. Clive can't go see the show as it is out of bounds (military restriction), so of course, they decide that using Mr. Toop's suit and clergy collar is the best way to go undetected. From there the plot only thickens into pure pandemonium as Penelope's uncle the bishop arrives, a Russian spy escapes and attacks Mr. Toop taking his clothes, and Miss Skillon awakens completely inebriated and confused.The tangled web is slowly untangled and brings us back to square one having enjoyed an enormous amount of laughs along the way.

Like all good farces, this show contains mistaken identities, a bunch of different doors, and people running all over the place. The physical comedy is top-notch with perfectly timed entrances, exits, and interchanges. Allman's Skillon makes a wonderful transformation from being perfectly prim and proper to bawdy and raucous. Her ability to maneuver with legs that "don't work" was simply riotous. The tomfoolery and hijinx are full throttle, but never so unbelievable as to take you out of the moment. Sophia Franzella as Ida the maid, makes every scene she is in better. Nathaniel Tenenbaum as the Bishop of Lax adds another level of unexpected humor. His booming voice cuts through everything making you pay attention to every word he says. Amid the big laughs and big personalities, the quiet performance of Rob Martin as Rev. Arthur Humphrey, must also be noted. His timid character offered a great balance to the show and still managed to get in just as many zingers, but using very different comedic tools.

Together the ensemble is pure magic. They work together as a unit that clearly understands their goal. Director Karen Lund has them running with clock-work precision that took twenty minutes off the posted run time for the show - what a pleasant surprise. Scenic design by Mark Lund gives the plays exactly what they need without anything extra to get in the way. If there is anything at all to knit-pick, I'd say the dialect work of the Russian spy wasn't quite up to par with the rest of the show. But as someone who minored in Russian language and studied abroad, I'll admit that I have a rather high standard for Russian dialect work. And truthfully, it didn't take anything away from the fun of the show.

SEE HOW THEY RUN is a show that's worth seeing, maybe even more than once. On the drive home, I couldn't help but think of a half dozen people that I wanted to share it with, people I knew who could use a break and a laugh just as I did. While the show may not fall into the life-changing category, it does its job admirably. It is a salve for the weary spirits of pandemic people. It is a chance to release some of that tension we didn't even realize we were holding. And best of all, it's a chance to remember why we love theater and that somehow we will all find a way to help the show go on.

SEE HOW THEY RUN is playing at Taproot Theatre now through March 5th. Tickets and info available at taproottheatre.org.

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