The Australian premiere of the National Theatre of Great Britain’s hit play One Man, Two Guvnors, was a riotously funny, masterfully performed and brilliantly staged performance.
The play – a reworking by Nicholas Bean of Carlo Goldoni’s 1743 commedia dell’arte farce The Servant of Two Masters – shifts the action from 18th Century Venice to early 1960’s Brighton, England; the servant becomes a ‘man’, the masters become ‘guvnors’. Francis, a failed musician, works for two guvnors. First there is Rachel Crabbe, who is disguised as her recently murdered crime lord twin brother. His other employer is a smarmy boarding-school toff, Stanley Stubbers, who just happens to be Rachel’s secret lover and the slayer of her twin. Neither guvnor knows that the other is in Brighton, or that Francis is working for two guvnors, and Francis wants to keep it that way. It’s a difficult task in the hands of a lovable and very hungry dolt who simply wants money for food. Matters are further complicated because Rachel, needing money to save Stanley, is in Brighton masquerading as her brother in order to claim a dowry from her brother’s reluctant fiancée Pauline, who is madly in love with an actor, Alan. Comedy ensues.
The role of Francis, which earned James Corden a Tony award in 2012, is played with great skill and geniality by Owain Arthur. Arthur’s ability to react in the moment while maintaining the play’s comic structure and tempo elevated the performance to a rare level of achievement. In this performance, his first entrance was interrupted by sharp barks from a startled Guide Dog in the audience. The improvised response to this canine hiatus was perfectly pitched. From that moment, each time he appeared onstage became an opportunity for something unpredictable and memorable to occur.
In the play’s most famous scene, set in the twin dining rooms of the Cricketer’s Arms hotel, Francis attempts to serve dinner to both guvnors simultaneously without them being aware of the situation. This difficult chore is complicated further by the presence of Alfie, an octogenarian trainee waiter. As Alfie, Peter Caulfield demonstrates immense physical comedy prowess, extracting maximum laughs from his misfortune as he runs into doors, spills soup and is in the wrong place at the wrong time, every time.
The entire cast delivers excellent performances. Leon Williams is particularly charming and amusing as the over-acting actor Alan and Edward Bennett’s snobbish Stanley is perfectly realised.
The simple yet evocative set designs combined with the excellent character-enhancing costuming effectively recreates Brighton and the period.
Throughout the performance a pre-Beatles skiffle band and amusing musical interludes featuring the other cast members ensure that the play’s pulsating momentum is maintained during scene changes.
It is easy to appreciate why One Man, Two Guvnors has been a hit in the West End and on Broadway. Don’t miss it!
Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5
One Man, Two Guvnors
By Richard Bean
Based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, with songs by Grant Olding
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Physical comedy director: Cal McCrystal
Revival director: Adam Penford
Designer: Mark Thompson
Lighting designer: Mark Henderson
Music and songs: Grant Olding
Sound designer: Paul Arditti
Fight director: Kate Waters
Cast: Owain Arthur, Edward Bennett, Amy Booth-Steel, Nick Cavaliere, Colin Mace, Mark Monero, Kellie Shirley, Leon Williams, Rosie Wyatt, Richie Hart, Philip Murray Warson, Oliver Seymour Marsh and Billy Stookes
Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide
28 February – 9 March
Adelaide Festival 2013
www.adelaidefestival.com.au
1 – 17 March
Additional performances:
Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay: 30 March – 11 May
Arts Centre Melbourne: 17 May – 22 June
