Drama Dock, Vashon’s longest-running theater company, will present Philip King’s classic British farce “See How They Run,” running at 7 p.m. Aug. 25-27 and Aug. 30-Sept. 1, at Vashon High School Theater, at 9600 SW 204th St.

The play — “arguably the funniest farce ever written,” according to the British Theatre Guide — was originally devised and performed as a morale booster for the troops during the darkest days of World War II in England, before it transferred to the West End and rapturous reviews in 1945.

Set in a complacent English village, the classic farce is full of door-slamming, mistaken identities, vicars in knickers, a scandalous American actress, a tipsily spinsterish town gossip, a wise-cracking Cockney housemaid, an escaped Russian spy, and a bishop whom the local bobby plants upside-down in the garden.

The show’s madcap plot, according to a 2006 Guardian review, “transforms preposterous situation[s] into spiraling ecstasy.”

To organize this legendary whirlwind of laughter, madness, and movement, Drama Dock engaged the director Christopher Kehoe, whose background in physical theater is perfectly suited to choreograph the escapism and enjoyment of “See How They Run.”

Kehoe has performed onstage in over 50 productions with more than 20 theater companies, from classical Shakespeare to musical theater to new work. He has a special interest in physical performance and ensemble-created theater.

Locally, he has performed with Seattle Opera, ArtsWest, and Vashon Repertory Theatre. Kehoe has trained with The SITI Company, Sandbox Theatre, Odin Teatret, Ecole Philippe Gaulier, Giovanni Fusetti, and artists from the former Theatre de la Jeune Lune.

The cast for the show is a who’s who of local favorites, Drama Dock veterans, and performers who appeared in other shows in Drama Dock’s all-British season. The ensemble includes Chris Clark, Reed Harvey, Chris Boscia, David Breyman, Catherine MacNeal, Alyssa Norling, Cate O’Kane, Brian Palermo, and Bill Epstein, and Maria Glanz (understudy).

“Come see why this remarkable play has kept audiences gasping in joy and amazement for all these years, and why still, in this era of digital cinema and streaming television, nothing can match the sheer speed, the comically violent timing, the virtuoso staging, the daredevil acting of classic farce in live theater,” said Kehoe.

Find out more and get tickets at dramadock.org.