Laughs in store for audiences who attend Marshall High School play

A bishop in pajamas, played by Stephen Meyer, leaps over the prone figure of Miss Skillen, played by Flannery Crump, while Penelope Toop, right, played by Star Cordell, and Ida, played by Kaeleigh Brown, watch in dismay as various characters race past in a chaotic scene from "See How They Run" a comedy show at Marshall High School March 4, 5 and 6. (Eric Crump/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

"See How They Run," the MHS spring play, is a comedy that lives up to its name.

"It's fast-paced," Schulenberg said after dashing numerous laps around the set during dress rehearsal Sunday, March 1.

His advice to the audience: "Try to keep up!" -- especially in the third act, which includes a wild foot race among several characters, variously dressed: one soldier disguised as a vicar, one escaped German prisoner of war disguised as a vicar, one vicar in his undies, one bishop in his jammies -- all over the supine body of the scandalized and besotted village church lady.

Nathan Foreman, playing an escaped German POW, hauls Rick Schulenberg, playing a vicar, from the room in "See How They Run," showing this week at Marshall High School. Foreman's character has just bopped the vicar on the head in order to "borrow" his clothes. (Eric Crump/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

The play is set in 1943 in the living room of the vicarage in the fictitious village of Merton-cum-Middlewick.

The lead character is Penelope Toop, played by freshman Star Cordell. Penelope is a former actress and now wife of the local vicar, the Rev. Lionel Toop, played by Schulenberg.

The Toops employ Ida, a Cockney maid, played by Kaeleigh Brown.

Miss Skillon, played by senior Flannery Crump, a churchgoer of the parish and a scold, arrives on bicycle to gossip with the vicar and to complain about the latest "outrages" that Penelope has caused.

The vicar then leaves for the night, and an old friend of Penelope's, Lance-Cpl. Clive Winton, played by senior Connor Thomas, stops by on a quick visit. In order to dodge army regulations, he changes from his uniform into Lionel's second-best suit in order to see a production of "Private Lives" (a No'l Coward play in which they had appeared together in their acting days), while pretending to be the visiting vicar, Arthur Humphrey, who is due to preach the Sunday sermon the next day.

Just before they set out, Penelope and Clive re-enact one of their scenes from "Private Lives" and manage to knock Miss Skillon (who has come back unannounced) unconscious.

Miss Skillon, wrongly thinking she has seen Lionel fighting with Penelope, gets drunk on a bottle of cooking sherry and Ida hides her in the broom cupboard.

Then Toop, arriving back, is taken prisoner by an escaping German POW from a nearby camp, who takes his clothes as a disguise.

To add to the confusion, both the real Humphrey, played by James Romney, as well as Penelope's uncle, the Bishop of Lax, played by Stephen Meyer, unexpectedly show up early. Chaos quickly ensues, culminating in a cycle of running figures, most of them dressed as clergy.

This will be the third time the play has been produced at MHS, according to Director Tammy Johnson. She directed it in 2002 and former Director Randy Shannon did in 1983, she said.

"This is one of my favorites because of the fast pace," she said. "I thought I had the right group of comedians to pull it off, so I resurrected it."

This will be the final play for three seniors who have been regulars in MHS theater productions over their high school careers.

"It is bittersweet to work with the seniors for the last time; Rick Schulenberg, Flannery Crump and Connor Thomas. All of them are talented comics, yet it's sad to think this is their last MHS production. They will be missed!" Johnson said.

Aside from the seniors, the cast includes underclassmen, including several freshmen.

"I have an overall young group with this production and they have worked really hard," Johnson said. "This is an incredibly funny, crowd-pleasing show. I think the audience will laugh until they cry."

Johnson also is pleased with the set created by the stagecraft class.

"The stagecraft classes have worked for the entire third quarter on a beautiful interior set for this play," she said. "I am so proud of them and so proud of the set."

The stage manager is Audra Taylor, serving in her third year at that post. Technical crew are Leslie Stark and Jordan Lane.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students. The play is showing in the MHS Little Theatre Wednesday, March 4; Thursday, March 5; and Friday, March 6, at 7 p.m. each night. Wednesday is Student Night, when student tickets are $2.

Contact Eric Crump at marshalleditor@socket.net