‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ – New Vic Theatre – 12th April to 11th May

One Man, Two Guvnors at the New Vic Theatre

Written by Richard Bean – Directed by Conrad Nelson

Photographs courtesy of Andrew Billington

They say laughter is the best medicine, and if you want laughter in abundance, you REALLY need to see this!!  I haven’t laughed so much in a very long time.

‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ is wonderful mix of side-splitting comedy and atmospheric live music, which when accompanied with a brilliant storyline is an absolute winner.

Based on the 16th Century Italian comedy, ‘The Servant of Two Masters’ by Carlo Goldini, ‘One Man Two Guvnors’, has been revamped by writer Richard Bean and superbly directed by Conrad Nelson.

Based in Brighton in 1963, Francis Henshall (Michael Hugo) goes from being unemployed and hungry, to working for two people, trying to keep them from knowing about each other, and it turns out they actually know each other very well.   Henshall’s emotions seem to centre around hunger and lust!   It is full of twists and turns as the story weaves it’s way to a happy ending. That is all I will say about the amazing plot.

The cast is a mixture of new comers to the New Vic and people we have seen before.  It is a fantastic cast – I could speak about all of them individually as they all brought their character vividly to life.  The attention to detail in every aspect of this production is second to none, and on stage every actor gave it their all.

I do need to mention Michael Hugo, who is a ‘New Vic Favourite’ and it seems can do absolutely anything on stage – the highlight of this play is his fight with himself.  Michael is exceptionally funny, there is no doubt, and this time he was joined by another funny-man, Nick Haverson, who played 86 year old Alfie as if he really was 86 years old (Nick is just a spring chicken!!).  The mix of comedy provided by the combination of Michael and Nick is off the scale.  The fast-moving slap-stick humour is hysterical!  Plus, every cast member has their fair share of comic stage time and one-liners that add to the uproarious atmosphere of juvenile silliness – which was fantastic!  I have an urge now to list them ALL – but have a look at the New Vic Website instead – www.newvictheatre.org.uk

Credit to the whole team – both onstage and off stage!  The set was excellent –  stage, sound, lighting, costumes, choreography – all details had been considered and perfected.   The skiffle band looked the part and sounded the part and included of all of the actors – who are, as usual, not only talented on stage but also excellent musicians and singers.  The fact that the music was live and often, added an extra dimension of excitement.

There was audience participation, some of it with a twist, and looking around, everyone was at the very least smiling – in fact, most were struggling to breath due to too much laughing.

I can’t say enough good things about this play – definitely a FIVE STAR production and one that if you like a laugh, you really should treat yourself! You really can’t beat a bit of theatre in the round at the New Vic!

You can catch ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ at the New Vic until Saturday 11^th May.  For more information or to book tickets, use the following link –  https://www.newvictheatre.org.uk/productions/one-man-two-guvnors/