'Farce at its bonkers best': Pateley Playhouse grand re-opening performance a great success

Ms Barber wrote: “Champagne corks popped - both literally and metaphorically - as the Pateley Bridge Playhouse roared back to life with a fizzing production of See How They Run by Keith Burton.”

The performance, superbly brought to life by the brilliant Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society, was the first for three years after 120K in renovations to revamp the much-loved building

Ms Barber continued: This classic farce was an inspired choice to celebrate the reopening of the Playhouse after a three year closure - uplifting, joyful and superbly staged.

The hiatus was due to lockdown followed by a major refurbishment project which has revitalised this gem of a theatre.

As the lights went up once more, it was a punch-the-air moment both on and off stage and the final standing ovation was heartfelt and richly deserved.

This was a stunning - and challenging - production on so many levels.

Cleverly directed by Keith Burton, a supremely talented cast rose magnificently to the occasion.

See How They Run is a quintessential English farce with not so much a storyline but a framework for total chaos.

Forget the plot, this was all about performance - and the nine-strong cast handled the mayhem brilliantly.

Crucially, they all worked as an excellent team under Keith’s deft leadership, mastering the insane swirl of action with impeccable timing.

Their physical agility alone was impressive, given the logistics of a small stage and escalating absurdity.”

Set in an English village during the Second World War, the play initially centres on a local spinster who mistakenly believes that the wife of her beloved Vicar is having an affair.

Throw in an escaped German PoW, a debonair actor and multiple clerics- of whom only three are the genuine articles - and you’re in for a rollicking night of laughter.

The action is all based in the vicarage, where ex-thespian Penelope Toop lives with her husband the Rev Lionel Toop and their maid Ida.

Ms Barber wrote: Sally Smith as Penelope and Peter Buller as Lionel are both pitch perfect as a chalk and cheese pairing.

Sally delivers a masterclass of insouciance as a modern sophisticate who manages to ooze charm through gritted teeth; and Peter is an endearingly mild-mannered innocent whose gentle demeanour is increasingly tested as life unravels.

Attempting to anchor them is Carol Bailey in sparkling form as their censorious maid Ida, giving a droll running commentary via caustic observations and clever body language.

The relative peace of the vicarage is shattered in the opening scene as parish busybody Miss Skillon loudly storms in with her perennial complaints.

This is a tour de force from Heather Appleton, who gives a jaw-dropping and very funny display of physicality as she shifts from suitably prim to unsuitably drunk.

Her performance throughout is feisty and fearless and could have graced any professional stage.

Into the vicarage household steps a surprise visitor, the dashing Cpl Clive Winton, an old chum from Penelope’s acting days who once performed with her.

Ben Derrick is always a magnetic presence on stage, and here he gives a compelling, charismatic performance as Clive whose charming arrival in battledress triggers the first round of bedlam.

Cue more dog-collar mayhem as Penelope’s uncle the Bishop of Lax arrives, played with consummate authority by Jerry Harvey.

He skilfully combines warm heartedness with a subtle hint of pomposity which eventually degenerates into wide-eyed bafflement as chaos descends.

Equally bewildered is the third cleric who appears, the Rev Arthur Humphrey.

Michael Thorne takes on this role with aplomb, sensitively capturing his timid naivety and subsequent panic.

As the audience laughs through a maelstrom of mistaken identities, a bombshell entrance by Chris Iredale as the escaped German PoW raises the roof. Chris silently storms through a door with hilarious physicality - stiff of gait and prone to swift comic violence.

It’s a terrific performance which escalates even further as he joins the inevitable chase round the house.

This barnstorming chase - a mandatory element of any farce - deserves an accolade all of its own thanks to the breathtaking choreography. Take an Olympic bow, all those actors who raced round.

Order is finally restored by the appearance of Sgt Towers, a wonderfully stern Steve Hunt who finally arrests the right man. The audience rose to its feet as one.

This was farce at its bonkers best, thanks to a masterclass in ensemble performance.

The chemistry between cast members was palpable and they worked as a brilliantly co-ordinated team with breathtaking pace, power and precision.

Congratulations also to all the backstage crew under the leadership of stage manager Justin Enthoven - the attention to historical detail on set was spot on.

This was a glorious romp of a production and the perfect way to celebrate this new chapter in the illustrious history of the Playhouse.

It was a triumphant moment and a privilege to be there.