FROM the sandbags stashed around the theatre to the penetrating melodies and rhythms of World War Two's popular music, played on loudspeakers everywhere, the current touring production of See How They Run rolls out a barrel of appropriate nostalgia.

And that's exactly what we got in this fast, furious and very funny rendition of the Philip King comedy classic, now 64 years old, but still running riot with our sense of humour.

Farce, much maligned by intellectual theatre-goers, is unashamedly indulged in in this Touring Partnership production, directed by Douglas Hodge. The cast of nine romps through a night at the crazy Toop vicarage.

Relentlessly authentic down to satin undies, seamed stockings and gents' suspendered hose - and, as befits farce, we see quite a few of all those - a plan to dress up a soldier in the cleric's suit for a night out quickly goes wrong when a village busybody, a visiting vicar, a bishop and an escaped German prisoner of war are thrown into a pot of cooking sherry madness and mayhem.

Julie Legrand is a contortionist's dream in the part of crusty, and mostly tipsy, spinster of the parish Miss Skillon, but the vitality of the young leads - Simon Wilson and Hattie Morahan as the vicar and Mrs Toop, and Jo Stone-Fewings and Adrian Fear as the two soldiers - is breathtaking, while the older men of the cloth, Nicholas Blane's Rev Humphrey and Benjamin Whitrow's Bishop of Lax, give us a run for our money too. Congratulations are due to Natalie Grady who makes her professional debut as a memorable Ida the maid. See it if you can!

* See How They Run runs until Saturday with evening performances at 7.30pm, Thursday matinee at 2pm and Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. Tickets cost between £5 and £20. Box office 0870 905 5060.

Published: 24/03/2006