Dave Cartwright says One Man Two Guvnors is nothing less than an absolute must see …
Leeds’ Grand Theatre is renowned for it’s commercial juggernauts. There is often a stigma with huge mainstream productions, that they compromise on quality, originality and artistic integrity in favour of cheap gags, money fuelled spectacles and Z-List star casting. (This is not my criticism but one that I have heard a lot about large-scale touring productions.)
So upon attending the National Theatre’s award winning production of One Man Two Guvnors, I was a little apprehensive. In it’s favour, I had heard huge hype about it’s London run with actors such as James Corden and Rufus Hound and my previous experience of National Theatre touring work has always been of ones extremely high quality.
A comedy with a plot-line too complex to grapple with in a short review, the Nicholas Hytner farce was without doubt one of the funniest pieces I have ever seen. With it’s slap-stick buffoonery, hilarious physical sequences and cheeky asides, the audience chuckle their way through a tale of hidden disguises, cross-dressing and hummus sandwiches.
Superb lead actor Gavin Spokes found his hummus sandwich gag fell to pieces during the performance when an audience member (I’m not going to name him but be assured he was an extremely good-looking reviewer *wink wink*) heckled to offer him a (non-planned) second sandwich. The actor was lost for words, yet captivated the audience with his ability to make light of the situation and beautifully improvise his way back into the story. Spokes commanded both stage and audience with a joyful cheekiness and well-timed wit. Occasionally brilliant comedy lines were thrown away, however, all in all his performance was a delight to watch.
The rest of the cast provided a refreshing variation from what is a very ‘one-character-heavy’ show. From Edward Hancock’s black polo-necked, most “darling” of actors to Patrick Warner’s ‘that’s just not cricket’ Englishman, the cast effortlessly told the fairly complex narrative in a competently charming manner. I have to say though, the star of the show was Alfie, a bumbling old waiter played by Michael Dylan. His shakey vulnerability and constant abuse reminded me of a cross between Don Quixote and Julie Walters’ Mrs Overall. I found myself weeping, he was that good.
From start to finish, a suited 4 man band instil a musical rhythm to the piece which adds to its bounce. It would’ve been nice if this music was inter-dispersed within the action rather than just being a transitional function between scenes, nonetheless it was a lovely touch. Mark Thompson’s set also enhanced the piece’s farcical nature giving an overly exaggerated 3D perspective which made the actors seem enclosed in a tricky and haphazard world.
I left the Grand Theatre feeling refreshed, tickled and with my faith well and truly restored in big touring shows. I celebrated with my French Brie and Grape sandwich. Needless to say, One Man Two Guvnors is nothing less than an absolute must see. Book now, it’s not on for long.
ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS, 4 – 8 NOVEMBER 2014
