Bayouland Activities
May 31, 2013
Luke lands at Riverside
June 4, 2013
The Iberia Performing Arts League presents Philip King’s World War II-era British farce “See How They Run,” as its season finale May 30 to June 9 at the Essanee Theater in New Iberia.
Director Vincent Barras said he is excited to finally bring this comedy to a local stage.
“I saw this play seven years ago in London and fell in love with it, and I’ve been wanting to bring it to the states ever since,” Barras said. “Finally, I have the chance. It made me laugh so much when I saw it in London that I just thought this is a marvelous show. There’s almost nothing I don’t like about it.”
“See How They Run” is set in 1949 in the vicarage home of Reverend Lionel Toop, played by Perry Ledet, in sleepy Merton-cum-Middlewick. Lionel’s new wife Penelope, a former actress, is struggling to adjust to her new position as a young vicar’s wife in a tight-knit English town.
When Lionel prepares to travel to a nearby village, he is knocked unconscious by an escaped Russian Prisoner of War, played by Matt Heyer. The intruder steals Lionel’s clothes to disguise himself as a vicar.
In the meantime, Penelope is reacquainted with Clive Owens, her handsome former co-star who was a member of her acting troupe and now an American soldier. For the reunited pair to catch a play in a nearby town Penelope has Clive wear some of her husband’s clothes to masquerade as a vicar.
Mitch Prudhomme, playing Clive, said “See How They Run” is all about the chaos of mistaken identity.
“Basically to go out and have a night out on the town, he can’t go out in uniform so he puts on Penelope’s husbands vicar suit, and he is mistaken for a priest and hilarity ensues,” Prudhomme said.
Shortly after, Lionel regains consciousness and puts on another set of his clothes and another local vicar, Arthur Humphreys, played by Ryan Berard, arrives to a house in chaos. The Bishop of Lax, played by Mike Berry, mistakes Clive for Penelope’s husband and the local Sergeant played by Donald “Doc” Voorhies shows up searching for the lost P.O.W.
“So there are four priests in town, no one knows who is who, and it’s just a riot,” Barras said.
Barras double casted the leading actresses, which poses its own challenges.
“We have so many talented ladies in the area that I didn’t want to leave anyone out, but it’s like the actresses are only practicing twice in a week while they guys are practicing four times,” Barras said. “That’s the only downside, but everything else I just love about this show.”
Barras said that although double casting is sometimes tricky, in this case it worked out for the best.
“It turns out that one of the ladies who tried out for a leading role has a wedding to go to in Tennessee,” Barras said. “She was basically going to skip the whole wedding to be in the show, so I said, ‘Wait a minute, I can double cast.’ She can be in the show one weekend and go to her cousin’s wedding the next. It just worked out perfectly.”
Jill Prudhomme will play Penelope one weekend and Kate Stelly another. Jill Prudhomme said Penelope is a fun character because she is so different from the others in the small English town.
“I like her because she is an American and so she is not as proper as the other characters,” Jill Prudhomme said. “She says what she’s thinking.”
The Toops’ maid, Ida, is played by both Blythe Bull and Lanie Marcantel. Miss Skillon, played by Susan Clark and Cindy Hebert, is the village busybody who ends up drunk for the first time on cooking sherry due to mixed-up identities.
Jill Prudhomme said the nature of the show lends itself to tons of laughter.
“The show is quick, witty and fast paced and there is never a dull moment and I think that’s going to make it a major hit with the audience,” Jill Prudhomme said.
Theater veteran Mitch Prudhomme said “See How They Run” is one-of-a-kind.
“The way I’ve been advertising it to my friends is that this is the funniest show I’ve ever been in, seen, read or anything,” he said. “That’s saying a lot because I’ve been in a lot of shows. We’ve been getting acquainted with this show for months now, and we’re still laughing our butts off at everything that happens. The jokes don’t get old.”
The play runs May 30 through June 9 at Essannee Theater, 126 Iberia St., New Iberia. Tickets cost $10. For more information, call (337) 364-6114 or email ipal@cox.net.
– Kami Ellender is a contributing writer.
Directed by Vincent Barras, the World War II-era British farce “See How They Run” plays at Essannee Theater from May 30 through June 9. Multiple roles in the humorous play driven by misunderstandings were double casted.
