Theatre Albany brings ‘British farce’ to stage

ALBANY – Kelly Walton’s certainly no stranger to the theater scene in southwest Georgia. She’s acted in a number of plays and has directed four major Theatre Albany productions.

But Walton’s fifth production for the Albany theater group is perhaps her most ambitious, the British farce “See How They Run,” which will be presented Friday-Sunday and April 17-19.

“I sum up the key to this production with something I’ve told the players a million times: ‘If it’s not fast, it’s not funny,’” Walton, who has directed “Legally Blonde,” “James and the Giant Peach Jr.,” “The Wedding Singer” and “Mouse Trap” at the local theater, said. “This play is a challenge; it’s a lot. It’s British humor, so it’s rapid-fire, all over the place.

“There’s slapstick, physical humor, fast-paced lines. A lot of the success of the play depends on pace, timing. Fortunately, we have a cast that’s worked hard to get to the nuances of the play. I told them from the first that they’d have to work hard, and as we get ready to open, that hard work is paying off.”

“See How They Run” was originally written in 1943, but with the end of World War II, was rewritten in 1949. A German Nazi character was rewritten as a Russian, and American characters were added.

“I tend to be a historian; I like to do research about works I’m involved with to get a better understanding of the play,” Walton said. “If the cast members have questions about a specific line or scene from the play, I want to be able to answer those questions.”

The nine characters in “See How They Run” is, Walton said, a nice mix of veteran actors and three newcomers to the Theatre Albany stage. Butler Stoudenmire and Doug Lorber are among the veterans in the cast, and Erin Andrews is making her Theatre Albany debut.

“It’s a little frightening; I do have a bit of stage fright,” Andrews said before the cast’s Tuesday-night dress rehearsal. “But I’m having so much fun doing this.”

The cast includes Stoudenmire as Rev. Lionel Troop, Andrews as his wife, Penelope Troop, Adalei Pilcher as Ida, Jennifer Bowers as Miss Skillon, Sam Ellis as Cpl. Clive Winton, Mickey Snow as the Intruder, Chad Hudson as Rev. Arthur Humphrey, Jason Dowdy as Sgt. Towers and Lorber as the Bishop of Lax.

“See How They Run” is the 73rd production for the ageless Lorber.

“I still try to do at least one show a year,” the veteran actor said. “The things that are so special about this one is the camaraderie among the cast and Kelly’s direction. She has a great vision for the play, but she also allows the actors to be creative. That’s a rare quality.”

Lorber, too, said timing is crucial to a successful performance in the farce.

“There’s a lot of physical comedy in this play, so I feel it in my knees and back,” he said. “There’s running around; we have to lift someone … there’s a lot of the slapsticky, British humor. But I’m really having fun; I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t. 

“I’m kind of an old hand at this, but we have three performers who’ve never done a show on this stage before. I love sharing their excitement.”

Joining Walton among the play’s crew are Stage Director Jessica Albano, Costumer Megan Lisenby, Set Constructors Rob Pilcher and Sean Cirone, Set 

Dressers Melissa Griffin and Macy Seymour, and props provided by Jenny McNair and Tina Justice.