One Man, Two Guvnors

Synopsis

Whatsonstage.com Award winnng One Man, Two Guvnors continues its run in the West End at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

In Richard Bean's English version of Carlo Goldoni's classic Italian comedy The Servant of Two Masters, sex, food and money are high on the agenda.
 
Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small time East End hood, now in Brighton to collect £6,000 from his fiancee's dad. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who's been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers.
 
Holed up at The Cricketers' Arms, the permanently ravenous Francis spots the chance of an extra meal ticket and takes a second job with one Stanley Stubbers, who is hiding from the police and waiting to be re-united with Rachel. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two guvnors apart. Simple.....

Currently playing the role of Francis Henshall is comedian Rufus Hound who makes his West End debut.

Our Review:

Terri Paddock - 14 March 2012

After sweeping up gongs at the Evening Standard, Critics’ Circle and Whatsonstage.com Awards, Richard Bean’s 1960s Brighton-set reclamation of Goldoni's classic A Servant of Two Masters has recorded perhaps its greatest achievement – proving that it is just as funny without the presence of its original star James Corden.

While Corden and most of the rest of the original cast are now Broadway bound, the National Theatre’s production of One Man, Two Guvnors marches gloriously on in the West End, moving from the Adelphi to the Haymarket, with a new company led by Owain Arthur, Corden’s former understudy in the role of Francis Henshall, laying confident claim to the piece in its new home.

Arthur plays it much differently – for one, he’s far slimmer than Corden (which takes some wind out of the fat joke sails) and he speaks in his native Welsh accent. But he more than matches Corden in his adept hand...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

Steve Kirby - 2 May 2013:

I was feeling rather off colour before I saw OMTG but all that hilarity cured me! Sitting next to me was a gloomy Russian gentleman who could not understand why we English were "dumbing down" by turning a classic 18th centiry Italian comnedy into a food fight! But he stayed in his seat after the interval & by the end of the show he was laughing too!...

Read more and add your own review

Related Whatsonstage.com Articles

Michael Coveney: So, who wants to run the National Theatre after Hytner? 1st Night Photos: Rufus Hound joins One Man, Two Guvnors Show Pics: New cast for One Man, Two Guvnors Rufus Hound On ... Being the West End Man & hosting the Whatsonstage.com Awards Brief Encounter with ... Physical comedy director Cal McCrystal Rufus Hound to star in West End One Man, Two Guvnors One Man, Two Guvnors extends at Haymarket, Tom Edden returns Cast: Harry Melling in Camera at Southwark, new Guvnors WOS Radio: Bean & cast share Guvnors thoughts at Q&A Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful fills gap at Haymarket, 18-29 Sep More»