One Man, Two Guvnors, a Curtain Up London review

"The Commedia dell'Arte was the first professional theatre in Europe. Appearing first in the mid 1500s, it toured the towns and village squares of Italy with a series of stock scenarios and highly skilled performers, who played clearly defined character types. . .All their dialogue was improvised and it was regularly interrupted by music, dancing, tumbling and big set piece gags. . ."
— from the program notes for One Man, Two Guvnors, British playwright Richard Bean's adaptation of Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni's farce, Servant of Two Masters.

James Corden
(Photo: Tristam Kenton)

Richard Bean and director Nicholas Hytner proved that Carlo Goldoni's 1743 commedia dell’arte farce could survive his transporting the comical doings of his sly servant to the criminal underworld of Brighton circa 1963 — the essential plot intact, along with the commedia dell'arte's signature musical interruptions. Not only did it survive Bean's ingeniously re-invented time frame and setting, but it became one of London's major hits.

Much of the credit for One Man, Two Guvnorr's success was attributed to James Corden droll portrayal of the wily job juggler Francis Henshall. (you may remember him as Timms in another London-to-New York show, The History Boys') That first name gets ditched by Stanley Stubbers, his Guvnor #2, who declares first names to be "for girls and Norwegians..". Oliver Chris as Stubbers is another standout in a cast of standout farceurs).

With Corden and the rest of the British ensemble bringing their perfectly timed gags and pratfalls to Broadway, it seems that Bean's script teases out the very best performances from actors given a chance to tackle his clever makeover and the One Man, Two Guvnors continues to delight British theater goers with a second cast. That brings us to this scintilatingly silly hit's latest survival challenge: Will the very British sensibility be a Broadway audience's cup of tea? Judging from the laughter rocking the theater at the press performance I attended, the answer i"s yes indeed."

While Mr. Bean is said to have done a bit of tweaking for American viewers, I doubt that our British critic Lizzie Loveridge would see any major changes in the current production from the one she reviewed last year. Besides the play and the players being funny as ever, so Mark Thompson’s cutout set looks is as delightful at the Music Box as it was in London. Ditto for the snazzy costumes. That's why I'm re-posting her review along with mine in lieu of repeating the plot details.

Actually, not to belittle Bean's cleverly reinvented setting, characters and verbal wit, here's my advice to anyone headed to the Music Box: Don't worry about knowing anything about Goldoni's play or take the re-jiggered plot too seriously. Instead, just sit back and enjoy what is essentially a mindless but rib ticking vaudeville show directed, staged and performed with great flair.

Carden is so winning that he instantly has the audience receptive to everything he does. He exudes a convincing sense that he's improvising as the early Commedia players did but everything is carefully scripted. That includes several audience participation bits of business. Carden's physicality is amazing. The lanky Oliver Chris is terrific as Henshall's other "Guvnor." Jemima Rooper shuttles between being Rachel, Stubbers' lover, and posing as her twin and Guvnor #1, who was actually killed by Stubbers. The other cast members are equally adept at playing the verbal and physical comedy to the hilt.

As someone who tends not to laugh out loud even when I'm surrounded by gales of laughter, I must admit that the double dinner party that concludes the first act had even me haw-hawing at Tom Edden's doddering old waiter Alfie, staggering and falling when laden with trays of food and champagne. I can't recall seeing a physical gag extended beyond the point when it seems every laugh has been squeezed out of it.

There is, however, a downside to that priceless double dinner scene. It's really the unbeatable highlight of this coup de farce. Consequently, everything that follows is a bit of an anti-climax.

Having a Skiffle band to set the good time tone is not just fun, but apt. You see, the reason Henshall needs a second job is that he just got sacked from such a band after the head man saw the Beatles (in case you're unfamiliar with that term skiffle, musicians in a skiffle band play guitars and improvised percussion instruments like the washboard that had been Henshall's specialty). The musicians are new to this production. While they're excellent and don't just repeat what they do each time they come out, these interludes are too much of a good thing. In fact the whole enterprise , hilarious as it is, goes on at least ten minutes longer than necessary.

For more details about the plot, scenery and performance highlights, please click here for the original review.

Broadway Production Notes
One Man, Two Guvnors
Written by Richard Bean
Based on Carlo Goldoni's The Servant of Two Masters
Directed by Nicholas Hytner
Songs by Grant Olding
Cast (in order of appearance): Martyn Ellys (Harry Dangle), Suzie Toase (Dolly), Trevor Laird (Lloyd Boateng), Fred Ridgeway (Charlie "the Duck" Clench), Claire Lams (Pauline Clench), Daniel Rigby (Alan Dangle), James Corden (Francis Henshall), Jemima Rooper (Rachel Crabbe), Oliver Chris (Stanley Stubbers), Ben Linvingston (Gareth) Tom Edden (Elfie)
Ensemble: Eli James, Ben Livingston, Sarah Manton, Stephen Pilkinton, David Ryan Smith, Natalie Smith
The Craze Band: Jason Rabinowitz (Lead Vocals), Austin Moorhead (Lead Guitar), Charlie Rosen (Bass), Jacob Colin Cohen (Drums/Percussion)
Design: Mark Thompson
Physical Comedy Director: Cal McCrystal
Lighting: Mark Henderson
Sound: Paul Arditti
Associate Director: : Adam Penford
Production Stage Manager: William Joseph Barnes
Running Time: 2 1/2 Hours, including one intermission
The Music Box 239 W. 45th St.
From 4/06/12; opening 4/18/12; closing 9/02/12.
Ticket prices from $26.50-126.50.
Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 8pm, Wednesday & Saturdays at 2pm and Sunday at 3PM. Beginning April 24, Tuesday evenings at 7pm, Wednesday – Saturday evenings at 8pm, Wednesday & Saturdays at 2pm and Sunday at 3PM.
Reviewed by Elyse Sommer at April 14th press matinee

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One Man, Two Guvnors Makes Its Laugh-a-Minute Landing on Broadway