In an effort to help us feel that we are “getting out”, each Thursday at 7 PM The National Theatre in London is streaming a play and it will be available for one week. Be sure to put on the subtitles.
This week, all lycée OIB/international students must watch “One Man, Two Guvnors” and post a “review” in the comments below. Post your review below by next Friday, April 10th (note that the play will only be available to watch until next Thursday evening).
You might like to consider some of the following:
• The form and style of the production
• The artistic choices which have been made, remembering to include sound, lighting, set and costume design choices
• Your own critical appreciation of design elements and performance skills
• What you think the creative and production team’s intentions were in staging the production
• Significant moments in the production where you notice a particular performance skill being used or think a particular directorial decision has been made
• Your own response to the overall effectiveness of the piece as an audience member
Context to read before the play:
One Man, Two Guvnors is a play by Richard Bean, an English adaptation of Servant of Two Masters (Italian: Il servitore di due padroni), a 1743 Commedia dell’arte style comedy play by the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni. The play replaces the Italian period setting of the original with Brighton in 1963.
this comedy was very surprising to watch. like many comedies it was based off many misunderstanding that aren’t nesscesarily clear even after finishing it. I wonder if the songs used as intermission whenever there was a change of background were created for this play, but they certainly could have been, since they always were perfectly on point with the story. the costumes were pretty simple, but clearly representative of the time that the story is set in, however, it’s remarkable that the main character, the arlequin uses clothing to break the 4th wall, such as when he tells one of the men that he called onstage that he “haven’t dressed for the 60”. i enjoyed this play, i thought it was unexpected. when the character of Rachel disgued as Roscoe came on the stage and i noticed that the actor was in fact an actress, i thought that this play may be more interesting than it seemed. and of course that it ended up being one of the many comical effect of this play, and that a sister was disguised as her twin brother allowed the character to repeat many times that “identical twins can not be of different genders” made this character even more funny. One of the moments i found most impressive moments was when the arelquin has to explain why he had the woman’s image of her man, and the man’s diary containing the letters from the woman. the use of an alleteration in D, added upon the repetition of that sequence strongly reinforces the comedic effect of that scene. i think that the ridiculous situations in this play were very entretaining, and i quite enjoyed it. i pretty much certain that i never would have stumbled upon this play had week-end not been instructed to, and even if i had, it’s likely that i would have dismissed it due to its lenght. but i’m glad to have seen it, if only for future reference.
“One Man, Two Guvnors”
Personally i loved the play and the actor they all had amazing acting skills. This play was acted out on a stage outdoors with a large crowd. The stage was decorated with many different kinds of objects like chairs, benches, and the most important was the painted walls of buildings that they used often to show their location. In between each interval of the play there was a short time needed to switch the decor and they used this time to distract the audience by playing music and making musicians play 1960s songs. Some actors even got the opportunity to show some of their talents. Some of the talents were hilarious. The play lasts around 2 hours and 40 minutes which is a long time making the audience a little agitated so the actors try to bring in the audience into the play and sometimes things don’t go as planned (spoiler alert) and other times they actually put an actor in the audience to give a deeper connection. In small parts of the play you can hear music to show a romantic moment or a stressful one. Lighting is also adjusted to show if its morning or night. The set also uses different levels of the stage such as a staircase to show that they are on the first floor and placing a window at the top of a building to give more of an effect of realism. The actors are wearing costumes from the 1960s in exception of Alan. The actors played the roles of Charlie, Lloyd, Harry, Alan, Pauline, Roscoe, Rachel, Stanley, and much more. My favorite actor is Francis his acting is amazing and so are all the other actors but he had a great stage presence and he was used to show a story of love through his all knowing eyes 🙂 You could tell that everything was very well thought of and that it was real. The creative and production teams had amazing ideas that helped unravel certain aspect of the actors personality like the beers on the outside of the pub. One significant moment in the play that marked me was when “Francis” drought an audience member into the play and she acted so awkward on stage like most of us would do and i could feel pity for her and the worst part is when she got sprayed with a fire extinguisher. I felt so bad for her and the entirety of the actors knew that she was an actor but the audience didn’t know and so they acted like she was crying and was shocking to me in a surprising way. In the end we can see her on the stage bowing and that’s when i understood that she was in the play. I feel like that was a great way to attract the audience back in the play. It was an amazing idea. I also noticed that there all of the actors really fit in their roles and it was amazing how in depth all of their personalities were. Personally i love the play and felt that it was very funny and entertaining. At first i was overwhelmed by the amount of time but then when i started watching it the time just flew by. I noticed that the play also had many morals like forgiveness, love, to not judge, a little feminism, and how telling the truth is good sometimes. XD Overall the play was amazing and i love how the servant of both masters coups with dealing with two masters and all the mistakes he makes.
Spoilers of the actors and who is who and whose related to who.
Jean is Charlie’s wife but she left him and they both had a daughter called Pauline who had to marry Roscoe but he died by the hand of Roscoes twin sisters boyfriend called Stanley. So pauline fell in love with Alan who want to be an actor. Then Francis comes in and he becomes the servant of two masters Roscoe but it’s not really him it’s his sister disguised as him and Stanley that is trying to find Rachel. Lloyd is Charlie’s so called best friend but not really. Harry is the solicitor of Charlie that helps the play with the legal parts. And finally Dolly who is Charlie’s book keeper that falls in love with Francis. And finally Paddy that is an imaginary character that Francis made up to get him out of trouble.
— SPOILER ALERT (I’ve warned you, watch the play if you haven’t, it’s awesome) —
“One Man, Two Guvnor” is definitely a play that I will remember and probably watch again on a sad day to feel better. When I saw that it was nearly three hour long I was a bit reluctant to immerse myself in it because usually, actors get tired at some point and the plot gets a little boring when the play is too long. But for many reasons it did not happen in that play and every scene was entertaining from start to finish.
Firstly, rehearsal comedy and recurring audience participation as if it were part of the action did not fail to make me laugh. Some characters seems to have a personal joke that is repeated thourough the play : Pauline’s “I don’t understaaaaaand”, Charlie with the “identical twins” problem, Alfie with his failing body and his inevitable falls everytime he gets jostled, Lloyd with his latin phrases and Alan who speaks like an actor.
Secondly, I really appreciated the musical transitions and the fact that the actors themselves are also all musicians or singers, or both.
Thirdly, the cast was particularly well chosen. I loved the quality of Francis’ confusion each time he gets a similar task from his two guvnors, it seemed so real even though it’s such an absurd situation for someone who owns more than two brain cells. However my favorite characters were Stanley and Rachel, because of their singular and eclectic love that kept me in suspense as well as it made me laugh hard. Their heightened sexuality and their improbable tastes were hilarious; and I almost fell down laughing when Francis got his tongue trapped in the rat trap and said it was for personal reasons, and Stanley responded “I understand, I too enjoy pain” (which he proves at the end when Rachel snaps his suspenders on his chest and pinches his nipples, which he seems to enjoy)… The fact that Stanley’s always missing the point is fabulous.
Fourthly, I thought that the character of Dolly was very interesting because she embodies the biased feminist image of the 1960s. It is the period of emancipation of women, which pushes to an unfortunately anti-feminist extreme in the case of Dolly. Indeed, in order to escape marriage which she designates as “patriarchal”, she prefers to submit to men in another way : sexually. She thinks that she gives herself the choice, but would be ready to end up in any man’s bed to prove her sexual independence and to fight against the image of “purity” that women must display. However, sometimes (like with Francis), she forces herself to appreciate the man who attemps to seduce her even if he does not meet her expectations, on the pretext that “we have all done worse”, as she likes to say.
Finally, I found that the complexity of the plot has been well managed by the production and I did not even feel lost once in the events. The directors did a great job at keeping the public in suspense and at balancing the moments of laughter and jokes and the dramatic and serious moments.
I would give that play a 20/20 without any hesitation.
I was, like many people, very reluctant to watch this play at first. However as soon as the first scenes played I was latched onto it. Due to it’s length I was constrained to having to watch it over the couse of two days. This does not mean, nonetheless, that I enjoyed it less. Many moments in this play surprised me because of the Arlequin’s role that was to include some of the spectators. No doubt they were warned beforehand, but still, I think it encouraged others to take part too. (I’m not sure the part where the man with the humous sandwich was planned). I thought this was a great way for this play to keep a great pace. The actors were funny, and I think my favorite was Alfie (I believe that’s what that eighty year-old waiter is called). Hence, the scenes I found the most entertaining were in fact the food-serving one, and also the one where the Arlequin had to explain himself after the ironing.
Most of the actors, I thought, were very well established. For example Pauline being in love with Alan the actor, was quite entertaining and brought forward another aspect of the play, as if there were two stories happening at once. The Arlequin’s “crush” you might say, is the very image of the gender biased women in the 1960s, it is the period of emancipation of women. Many of the secondary actors, such as my favorite Alfie, also brought many gasps and laughs from the crowd, and this just gave even more reason for me to agree this was one of the funniest plays I have watched. The costumes were nice, and I appreciated the actors’ lack of reluctance at the chance of getting themselves dirty, for example: when the Arlequin drank soup, and got some all over himself, or when Stanley jumped into what was portrayed as a river, then came up soaking wet. The lighting of the play was great, and I also appreciated the very good quality of the montage, the way the whole play was filmed. In between scenes and acts, those singers were also a great addition, with great costumes and also some interventions by the actual actors of the play! The story-line was well made, and losing track of the story was made very hard.
All in all, I genuinely loved this play despite the daunting length it held. I highly recommend to watch, it’s great fun. Others (not me) will need the subtitles, however because of the very strong English accent the roles use. Thank you so much for the homework (not something I thought I’d say one day) because I probably would not have stumbled upon this absolute beauty of a play. I loved it!
Tanguy
I really like this play,
It was very funny and I enjoy watching it. I like the story and how the one man arrive to work for two governors, and it’s suspense all time because we don’t know when they will realize it. I also like how they introduce the public.
One man, two governors
This is a real comedy; the plot implies absurd situations and character interventions full of humor that makes it irresistible for the public to laugh.
The costumes are carefully chosen as it describes clearly the identity of each character, for example the girl who at the end marries Alan is innocent as her dress full of flowers indicates.
The scenery is incredible, everything seems real, the city, the living room, the restaurant… every detail is taken into consideration.
The pauses between each different act is professional, as it entertains the pubic with some musicians while the stage is prepared.
The cast performs in a really natural way, they interact with the public improvising, which shows their ability and high-performance skills.
Even though the situation is ironic, the characters are able to persuade the public and make them fell as if it was real, normal and evident.
The constant jokes aren’t tiring yet, funny and each of them placed in the right moment.
It is shocking when the protagonist takes a woman from the public and throws her water in the face.
The stage directions, that can be seen by the movement and reactions of the characters, are some of them funny and others quotidian, which isn’t evident, as in some performance eating, sweating, drinking isn’t present and it makes the play more human, real.
The light used at each act is mostly focused on the cast, not on the decoration and that it really important because it helps the public to be concentrated on the dialogue and the plot.
In addition, the play is really long and at first, that fact can make you go backwards and not watching it yet, it happens really fast because it is enjoyable and easy to watch.
Personally, I believe that the production, the decoration, the style, the creativity… make this performance unique and of high quality.
One Man, Two Guvnors is a play starring James Corden in the role of Francis, a man secretly employed by two guvnors. The protagonists constantly, throughout the play, tries to keep the two guvnors from meeting and figuring out what he’s been up. However the task turns out to be much complicated than it seemed. Despite its long duration, One Man, Two Guvnors is definitely a play worth watching that can turn any bad and sad day into one full of joy and laughter.
First of all what seemed to make this play stand out from any other play are the characters. Indeed characters such as “the octogenarian waiter” who could barely stop shaking or talk properly make the story ten times funnier. Other funny characters (apart from Francis of course) would be Rachel, who tried to pass out as her dead brother, Alan the “talented actor” who had to exaggerate anything and everything and Dolly who always liked to add feminist comments throughout the play.
Secondly, what seemed very interesting is the fact that the characters got the public involved in the play, particularly in the first act when Francis brought out two public members to help him carry a sort of heavy treasure (what is also particularly funny are the little improvised lines Corden says to the public members such as: “You’re not dressed for the 60s”). Another scene would be the dining part of the play in which Francis brings out on stage a woman named Christine Patterson who ends up getting out of stage completely covered in white foam (they also end up bringing out stage directors which really make people believe that things might have gone wrong during the play). Hopefully Christine is only a played actress and not a real public member!
Thirdly the directors not only makes the play funny through verbal comedy but also through visuals by having Francis somewhat “fight himself” or eat a piece of paper.
Fourthly, what made this entertaining are the musical acts that were given in between acts, which were extremely fun to watch and which in a way had a connection with the particular scene that just happened at the time. A surprising feature was the las musical act that the characters performed at the end of the play.
Finally one last fun thing, were the relationships in the play such as Alan and Pauline, who have particularly “exaggerated” romance, Stanley and Rachel who were really “open” of their relationship and Dolly and Francis who had to go through a lot of things before being together.
With amazing performances, by not only James Corden, but many other talented actors, One Man, Two Guvnors is definitely worth the watch!
This play was a fantastic comedy. The music played in between acts by a band, wardrobe and set reflected the 1960’s. The set was incredible, there were many props such as chairs and paintings in the first scene, to make it look like a living room, and benches as well as buildings to make the next scenes on a street. This comedy has an interaction with the public, which helps the audience feel closer with the cast as well as the story, and keeps them well entertained. Apart from the music from the band mention earlier, whenever there was an important or romantic moment, music was included to intensify that moment. Lighting was also adjusted to let the spectators know day from night. The script was funny, as well as confusing, for everyone is not really who they seem. One of my favorite parts were when the audience were brought up the help the actors on certain scenes. Overall i found it a great play, very amusing and entertaining, and the actors were fenomenal.
“One man, two guvnors” is a play that I really liked ! At first I was scared of getting bored while watching it because of its length but surprisingly, after the first scenes I couldn’t stop laughing at it and had to watch it till the end. From the characters and their surprising behavior to the numerous times where the actors interacted with the public, that play was an absolute pleasure to watch !
First, the actors were, in my opinion, particularly well chosen. Of course, there’s James Corden and his outstanding prestation but all the others actors were also perfectly fitting their character !
As for the characters, I would say that I liked Dolly the most. I don’t even know exactly why but I sort of liked her will to show society that they are wrong about women. And even though, she does it in a way where she doesn’t respect her own body by sleeping with men, I was happy when she ended up with Francis because I think she deserves an emotional support.
Second, I liked the artistic performances in this play. I was eager to discover the next performance between two stages, I was always surprised to see all the actors talent.
Third, I really liked those 60’s costumes (except for Alan of course) and how sometimes you could see a deeper meaning in those outfits. Just like with the wedding dress and the little flowers added on it showing the girl’s innocence.
The stage directions were also really good and realistic. It made the play a lot more attractive because, it looked real and not fake like some plays can be and which, usually, makes them a bit too utopic but here it was concret. You could easily relate to the characters. The stage’s decoration and all its details also really added something to this feeling.
Finally, the light helped the public to stay focused on the actors and the story, you could feel that the lights were here to help the public.
This play was really great, I enjoyed watching it as it is really funny but also has good values such as feminism. The interpretation was really good and all the details such as light, costumes and decoration were absolutely stunning !
I sure will recommend this play to my family and friends !!
Your review is well-organised and has nice attentions to detail!
One Man Two Guvnors is a well thought play by Richard Bean which is actually an adaptation of a Commedia Dell’arte play taking place 1743. Richard Bean has turned the play in an interesting way, replacing the spatio temporal context by England in the 20th century. The costumes and the set portray Brighton in its 60s. The actors accents and the general atmosphere really succeeds to put the audience at the center of the plot ; Francis Henshall working for two governors without them knowing and both of them coincidentally linked. The play swings from comical situations to songs from the 60s smartly related somehow to the current stage of the plot. The audience follows the actions of Francis while creating compassion for the pathetic character who keeps putting himself in compromising situations to fill his own desires such as when he takes away most of his governors food to save it up for himself. The variety of characters coming from many different social classes and showing very distinct personalities, manners and interests creates a unique impression of movement and dynamism.
“One man, two guvnors” is a play that I couldn’t fully watch due to a bad internet connection, but the first fifteen minutes that I actually did watch were highly entertaining. James Corden is an actor that I very much appreciate most of the time and I enjoyed seeing his face in a play.
I hope I will be able to watch future plays entirely because the feedback that I have had on it was genuinely very good. I have been told that this play was the type I would like, so I am disappointed to have not been able to watch it.
“One Man Two Governors” was a FANTASTIC play.
The plot is very catching, as the actors were really good at taking our attention. The setting, the costumes, the accents,the performances, everything was well thought and was truly entertaining. I was first very reluctant to watch this play but it turned out to be a wonderful time. One of my favorite thing was the way the actors interacted with the public. Even if some people were actually actors ( the hummus guy, the Catherine lady), it was hilarious. James Corden is so much into his character its fantastic, the funny faces he would make, his all body expressions were very well interpreted. I also enjoyed the different music performances between the scenes and how some actors were part of it, playing crazy instruments.
Overall, the play was very pleasant to watch, very easy to comprehend and the humour was hilarious.
This comedy was an amazing, I enjoyed it very much, it was very entertaining. Since the beginning this play was very elaborate and thought of, with lots of events and plot twist that made you want to continue watching. I personally really liked when it turned out to be the twin sister, Rachel in fact acting like her brother, Roscoe this was a very funny twist.
I personal really liked too how the actors were so into character and very professional, not only this but the scenography and the illumination. Everything was very tough of, and it could be seen that it was very professional. The time that this play was inspired of is the 60’s and the music and the costumes are linked to this epoch. I loved the songs that were played and how they introduced them when changing props so it wouldn’t be boring.
It was really interesting too how they thought of making it more interactive with the audience by making them come to stage when needed.
Overall I really liked this play, and how well though it was.
Bernardo Villaseñor.
I must say that I really enjoyed the play, the costumes were good and fitted the era, the writting was excelent, the punchlines were overall well tought and sometimes even subservise, the stage was well crafted, and the actor play was stelar. Overall I really enjoyed it but what I’d say makes this piece stand out is audience interaction and the musical numbers that are scatered trought scene transitions. I feelt like I was watching Meta theater at some points and I really liked those meta moments, for example when our main characters refers directly to the audience and calls himself the archetype of his character, an “harlequin” and guide is trough the train of tought that brings us towards the next point of the plot (he falls in love with the librarian). I was acctuelly taking notes trought the play until around 40 minutes in when I got so into it I completely stoped taking them, they are mostly quotes but I want to share some of the moments I really liked. I really loved the whole humus sandwich segment it was so beautifully improvised, at one point you can even hear the camera wheezing and then laugh at the sheer ridicoulesness of the moment. I would also like to point some of the quotes I took from the first 40 minutes:
“-That’s how I love ’em, unsoiled by education like a new bucket”
“-this man is a clown
-Everybody at the circus loves clowns, so when you say this man is a clown, what you are acctuelly sayin’s I love you ”
“I shall return like a storm. And everybody will get wet”
“It’s 1963, Dad. You can’t force me to marry a dead homosexual”
I really liked this comedy; it was really amusing to watch. The fact that James Corden has a role in it captivated me since the beginning (I’m a big fan). Them constantly breaking the fourth wall gave a really interesting touch to this play. I also really liked the way Dolly breaks social codes by sleeping with a lot of men ; it is kind of a revolt against the patriarchy and what society wants women to be; but unfortunately, the end destroys that but she is happy now so it is ok.
The comedy “one man, two governors”, Is a story set in England, Brighton (a seaside town) in the 1960s. In this story we follow one man who is employed by two different people, who are looking for each other.
Francis Henshall, is throughout the first act desperately looking for food, which pushes him to get employed by Roscoe’s sister and her boyfriend Stanley. These two are looking for each other and are completely oblivious to the fact that Francis is serving there partner. This allows for some interesting and funny scenes where the two almost meet up, but never quite do (until the second act).
All in all the play was very funny, filled with simple comedy such as bad puns, or visual effects (for example: not managing to lift a suitcase), but also with much deeper comedy such as references to other works of art, making the play attainable and enjoyable for everyone. I very much enjoyed this play because it was consistent and in the middle of all the confusion it still all made sense: the storyline was good. As well as this, the role of the main character Francis was played brilliantly by James Corden.
However I did not only enjoy the play for its comedic aspect, but also for some of the interesting theatrical elements used here that I had never seen before. The main one that stands out is the direct contact established between the actors and the audience, who are even invited on stage at multiple moments throughout the play (although some of these interactions do seem prepared). This really made the public and me seem included in the play and made it even more enjoyable.
Secondly, the music played between the scenes may not seem like much, but really help to put me in a 1960s mood, which made the play seem more coherent. These breaks, where some of the actors joined in, created some fun moments that made the story feel real, like it did not need the play to carry on.
Finally, what I though fascinating were the historical elements disguised in this comedy such as women’s rights, which was a big thing at the time. This particular topic for example is brought up several times in the play. This enables the play not to simply be “a pretty face”, and really adds depth to the story.
In conclusion, this was a brilliant play, held up by a brilliant cast. It created a fun atmosphere where the audience was invited, breaking down the rules of classic theater. This made the play entertaining, but also historically accurate. There were obviously so many more creative moments and techniques that made this so good, but these were my personal favorite.
Basically: I loved it!
This version from the National Theatre of “One man two guvnors” was really interesting to watch: melting numerous funny situations, misunderstanding or dramatic ones, the play was fluent between the different events.
The play takes place in the 1960’s and the actors are dressed as common at this era. There is also during the play a pun to the audience; Francis Henshall, who has to move a trunk, calls help from the audience. A reference to the era of the play is the dress style of a spectator (“you’re not dressed for the 60’s!”)
The obvious thing in this play is that the audience is really included in the play: during asides from a few characters, interactions (using two spectators to move a trunk, hiding some food or even a dialogue: “There is almost 1000 people here! Does anyone have a sandwich?”). This use of the audience is very effective and calls upon the spectator to be involved in the actions.
Another thing that is important is the music: between the scenes, a little band plays some music, relative to the context of the play (a girl which is promised to a man she doesn’t want to be married with). The musicians are included in the play and we have sometimes the actors of the play who play a little melody, which make the actors and the audience closer. (By the way the musics are very rousing, which are the continuity of all the funny situations during the play)
The comic of situation is very used and little under-scenarios such as the man who wants to be an actor, the man who serves two guvners simultanously or even romantic scenes and make the play as a full and inclusive one.
For me, the most significant (and funny moment) during the play are the ones when Henshall interacts with the audience; the unprepared (or scripted?) reactions of some spectators are really funny and again includes the spectator in the play.
As a conclusion, I would say this is for the moment one of the funniest English play I’ve seen; as a said many times above, the all inclusive aspect of the scenario, interactions (etc) during the whole play doesn’t make the audience just a watching one but an active one, involved in the play. That is for me the best choice of adaptation.
I loved it!
“One man and two guvnors” I liked this play and the actors were really good. I personnally loves the fact that the play take place in the 60s, and that it mix a love story and humour. Those two caracteristic make the play moving and moving, to add the fact that for every change le scene there is music which fit with the moment of the play. The play la built on differents littles funny adventure of Francis which is the principal character of the play. This adventure is bases on the fact he have two job, two guvnors but it can’t follow with his workload. Littles details of the character like bus obsession of food and more presisely chips or the scene when he talk To him self croate hilarious situation. Ta à de more the fact that he is the one that could find out that his two guvnors are in reality the two lovers is even more funny. One other point that make the play hilarious is the over react game that play the actors, and is something that I actually find disturbing at first but after watch it all, I Will not see the play with this over acting. The character that illustrates this idea of ‘over acting’ is Allan who want to be an actor, this situation of ating domaine who want to ne an actor je when toi this of it really strange but also funny. And finaly the point that I liked about this play was the fact that they use the audience to make the play lively and moving and that something i liked.
“One man, Two Guvnor” is a really interesting play, that can amuse people even though is long. It was entertaining from the beginning, and can make someone want to watch a second part.
The playwright used the character’s personal, and a recurrent demand of audience participation to create a comic atmosphere. For example, Charlie with his “identical twins” problem, Alfie with his frequent falls, Lloyd expressing himself in Latin, and Alan ironic performance, (in reality he is an actor that act as a character that likes to act like an actor).
We can notice musical shifts and the fact that the actors are musicians and even singers. This makes the spectator feel the presence of comedy through their ears. Regarding the costume’s simplicity design choice clearly represented the time, and context of the set in.
The chosen cast proved high ability, which made the spectators get immersed in this artificial reality. For example, each time that Francis got a similar task from his “two guvnors”, (and even though it was an absurd situation), his excellent performance deceived the spectators, making them feel that it was real. Another example, is the couple Stanley and Rachel, whose harmonious love created ridicule situations that could easily make someone laugh, and hypnotised.
Finally, all the components regarding the plot were proportionate and balanced. The directors created an incredible comic ambience that provided jokes, moments of drama and laughter that made the spectators fall in love with the play’s performance, and set.
One Man, Two Guvnors is an original adaptation by Richard Bean of the Italian play ‘Il servitor di due padroni’ written by Carlo Goldoni (1743).
The British playwright took the freedom to change the place and the century of the play. Indeed, the audience is driven the 1960s in the streets and houses of Brighton.
This is where Francis Henshall, by a misunderstanding, becomes the butler of two men. The first one being Roscoe Crabbe and the second one Stanley Stubbers.
This is where we find the trickiness of the Commedia dell’arte style; Roscoe was killed by Stanley Stubbers who is in love with Roscoe’s twin sister who is now pretending to be Roscoe in front of Roscoe’s fiance, Pauline, her amateur actor Alan Dangle lover, and her family… Confusing isn’t it?
Well, if it is for the audience, it is also for Francis who tries to keep up with his lies and to keep the two guvnors from the meeting.
However, Francis keeps being distracted by his appetite and Dolly; a feminist bookkeeper.
When I first heard the National Theater’s project during this self-isolation period, I thought that was genius. However, when I saw how long the play was, I became less enthusiastic.
2h30 is a reasonable length for a show when you go see it live, you don’t get bored because your eyes and brain are constantly stimulated and was scared not to ‘live’ the play properly behind my screen.
After one hour, my mind was completely attracted by the story and the amazing work of staging and acting.
I think this is where we can notice the cleverness of the direction. Indeed, besides the impressive scenery, the fact that there are no timeouts and that the actors are always taking us somewhere, making us laugh… makes it impossible to find it boring.
Even on the screen, it seems like a live show!
I loved how the stage director decided to incorporate musical elements to make the acting even more ‘complete’ and also, how the audience is solicited to be part of the actions. It makes the experience very unique.
In conclusion, I absolutely loved the show by how it is so moving, funny and modern.
One man, two Guvnors is a comedy play by Richard Bean. This is a story set in England, in the 1960s. This play was quite long but I could really enjoyed it. Francis Henshall is desperately looking for food in the first act, hiring him by Roscoe’s sister and her boyfriend Stanley. These two are looking for each other and are completely unaware that Francis is serving a partner. The director made the audience participate and created a better and more playful atmosphere. They invited the audience to the stage sometimes and I think it was a really good idea because the play was long and it helped to won’t get bored. Also the playwright lets us know what the situation is with music changes and also informs you of changes in the situation so that the audience can think a lot and feel more comedy. It was also very impressive to know the background era and culture from the costume. People might think that this play is just a light funny comedy, but I think it’s a play that is written with sincerity, sometimes with deep thoughts, rather than just light by using some other names of arts and good musics. So to conclude, I really enjoyed this play especially because the main character was ruled by James Cordon:)) and also because I really loved to wait until they all realize the truth!
I have to say I really enjoyed watching the play even if I was a bit reluctant because of the length. The story is set in England, Brighton and the music played in between acts by a band, wardrobe and set reflected the 1960’s which is explicit when Corden says to Francis « You’re not dressed for the 60s ». In this story we follow one man who is employed by two different people, who are looking for each other.
First, the play was well elaborate and really interesting to watch with a constant fluency between numerous events such as comical, misunderstanding or dramatic context. All of the absurd situations and the humoristic characters interventions made of this play a true comedy where the public can not help laughing.
Then, the characters allowed this play to stand out, they made the plot way more funny such as Alan who exaggerate everything or Rachel who tried to pass out like her dead brother. Also, I loved Dolly’s character who add feminist comments throughout the play and shows the historical elements disguised in the comedy (women’s rights) embodying the biased feminist image of the 60s. The variety of characters coming from different social classes with each very distinct personalities, manners and interests creates a unique dynamism in the play. What makes the play even more interesting and fascinating is that characters got the public involved in the play, especially in the first act when Francis brought out two public members to help him carry a sort of heavy treasure, making the spectators involved in the play.
As for the actors, they were particularly well chosen : each actors fitted their character, James Corden did a remarkable prestation and I really enjoyed Francis who had a great stage presence.
Next, the scenery is really detailed, everything seems real and every detail is taken into consideration. The lighting was amazing being mostly focused on the cast and not the decoration, this helped the public to concentrate on the plot and the dialogue. The costumes describes the identity of each characters and thus, are meticulously chosen. For instance, there is an innocent girl marrying Alan at the end and this innocence is shown through the flowers on her wedding dress.
Finally, in my opinion, one of the most significant moment and the one I enjoyed the most is when the characters interacts with the audience. The reactions of the public, for some of them, are really funny and it enhance the inclusive aspect of the play, making of this adaptation an even more unique one.
I am glad I watch it even if it took me some time, it was an amazing and unique play. The directors succeed to create a brilliant comedy balancing between modernity, humor and drama.