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. Read more …
In Richard Bean's English version of Goldoni's classic Italian comedy, sex, food and money are high on the agenda. Following his award-winning success with Gavin and Stacey, James Corden is reunited with National Theatre Director Nicholas Hytner for the first time since the worldwide hit The History Boys.
A heady combination of slapstick, panto, ad lib (who would have thought you could get so much mileage out of requesting a sandwich?), music hall and audience participation in which the “fourth wall” is constantly being dismantled, this is commedia dell'Arte meets Carry On with bells on.Throw into the mix a toe-tapping, live skiffle band, and what’s not to enjoy?
Although based on a Carlo Goldoni play from the 1700s, this farce doesn’t feel a bit out of date.
There’s little this reviewer has to add to all the others’ effusive praise. It’s a must-see.
In truth, though, Corden’s magnificent, audience-teasing efforts in the leading role are more than matched by a uniformly brilliant cast, including Suzie Toase as the sexy gangland book-keeper of Frankie’s dreams, and a memorable Tom Edden as Alfie, an ancient waiter whose presence generates what must be some of the funniest physical comedy ever seen on a British stage.
Although the second act struggles to match the hilarity of the first, Bean’s show can only be described as a pièce de résistance as it leaves the audience in fits of laughter. This is certainly one of the National Theatre’s funniest pieces to date, marking One Man, Two Guvnors as one enormous success.
So, does it live up to the hype? For most of the packed King's audience, including me, it did. Certainly it is one of the most side spittingly funny evenings in many a year.
King's Theatre, Edinburgh from Tuesday October 25, 2011, until Saturday October 29, 2011. More info: http://www.edtheatres.com/kings
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