Calling all theatre goers, comedy lovers and Rufus Hound fans! In just a few days, One Man Two Guvnors, which is described by the Guardian as “one of the funniest productions in the National Theatre’s history”, opens at the Leeds Grand. I talked to Kellie Shirley, who plays Pauline Clench, to find out more about it.
Kellie explained that the play is a fast paced farce, which incorporates comedy, stand-up, musical numbers and audience participation. The story is set in 1960s Brighton and is a complicated tale of double-crossing, murder and revenge, which leads to hilarious results on stage.
Rufus Hound plays the lead character, Francis Henshall, who has been sacked by his band and takes on two new jobs: the first, minding Roscoe Crabbe, a local gangster; and, the second, minding Stanley Stubbers, a criminal. Chaos ensues as Francis tries to keep his two employers from finding out about each other. Kellie describes Rufus as “excellent” and “very quick witted” in the role, which requires him to use his experience as a stand-up to think on his feet and work with the audience.
Kellie plays Pauline Clench, who has been dating Roscoe Crabbe to help him cover up the fact that he is gay. She has fallen in love with an actor called Alan and wants to marry him, but what can she do about Roscoe Crabbe? Kellie describes her character as “a bit thick”; she is confused by the unravelling storyline and worried that her hopes for a future with Alan could be in jeopardy.
Listening to Kellie, it is obvious that she is full of enthusiasm for her character. At 29, Kellie has a string of successful roles under her belt and enjoys working in theatre, film and TV. She chooses her roles on the basis of whether she likes the character or whether the part will give her a challenge, but has no preference for genre. “I just love working,” she told me, “when I’m not working, I’m crying on the kitchen floor.”
Kellie will be touring with One Man Two Guvnors until July 2013. The production has had enormous success in the UK and on Broadway; this is the second UK tour and is running alongside a lengthy stint in the West End. This tour will visit various locations in the UK (including the Leeds Grand from 11 to 15 December 2012 and The Lowry, Salford from 8 to 19 January 2013) and will then move on to Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia.
I asked Kellie what else she has lined up for 2013.
Her film, Run For Your Wife, is released in February 2013. It is the story of a London taxi driver who has two wives and two lives; he has a very precise schedule to juggle his two existences, which are threatened when he is mugged and ends up in hospital. Kellie plays Susie Browning, the best friend of one of the wives. She describes the film, which was a theatre production in the West End for nine years, as another farcical comedy dealing in deception. In addition to a cast studded with UK stars, there are cameo appearances from over 80 celebrities including Judi Dench, Ray Winstone and Cliff Richard; all of whom have agreed to donate their fees to charity. It sounds like a must see!
In addition, Girl on a Bicycle will be out in March 2013 and Everyone’s Going to Die is part of the Sundance Film Festival. Kellie informed me that she also has some other projects in the pipeline for any breaks that her tour allows. With all that going on, it’s hard to imagine when Kellie will have time for crying on the kitchen floor!
And when the tour is over, she’ll be turning 30! I asked her how she would celebrate. “It’s only 10 days from the end of the tour to my birthday, so I’m not sure whether I’ll stay on in Australia for a holiday or head home.” She answered. “I’m trying not to think about the big 30!”
A shame for Kellie’s kitchen floor, maybe just run a mop over it? But the floor’s loss is the audiences’ gain. I enjoyed her performance in this. Pauline is probably the most charming character in this play which has a good fun cast. I saw it in Leeds last week and sadly it has now moved on. I’d had a couple of recommendations from friends who had seen versions in Manchester and on Broadway earlier in the year. We are all agreed that this Richard Bean adaptation of Goldoni’s The Servant Of Two Masters it is well worth seeing and that “A pub that does food.” is quite possibly the most beautiful sentence in the English language.