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One Man, Two Guvnors
Based on Carlo Goldoni's classic Italian comedy The Servant of Two Masters, in this new English version by prize-winning playwright Richard Bean, sex, food, and money are high on the agenda.
96 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
June 24, 2024
A Laugh Riot
Review of the Dramatists Play Services Inc. paperback (January 2013) of the Oberon Plays (National Theatre) original (2011) adapted from the original Italian comedy of Carlo Goldoni's Il Servitore Di Due Padroni (The Servant of Two Masters) (1745).
I went to a recent live performance of One Man, Two Guvnors at Canada's Shaw Festival in Niagara-On-The-Lake this past weekend and it was the most hilarious and entertaining play of the several that I saw. Much of that has to do with the often outrageous performances by the cast and several clever improvisations and interactions with the audience. Saying more about the latter would be a huge spoiler though.
Reading the play and the source material afterwards shows that almost all of it was on the written page and had its basis in the Italian original. The setting becomes 1963 in Brighton, England rather than 1745 in Venice, Italy. This allows for various early Beatles and skiffle band references and performances. On the page, some of it will probably read flat and some of the jokes (esp. some inside-baseball British circumstances) might fly over your head. In a live performance though, a talented cast can pull it all off with a manic energy which will keep an audience roaring throughout.
Poster for Canada's Shaw Festival 2024 production of "One Man, Two Guvnors" featuring Peter Fernandes in the role of Francis Henshall. Image sourced from Shaw Festival.
In the Shaw Festival production I only noticed one major change from the playscript. Several disparaging references about moving to Australia in the original were changed to moving to Canada in order to allow some self-deprecatory humour by the Canuck actors.
A 4 star rating for the script, which can easily become a 5 star on the stage with a cast that can pull it off. In the Canadian production I especially enjoyed the performance of Peter Fernandes in the lead role of Frances Henshall, recognizing him from performances early last year as Benjy the Beagle in the Crow's Theatre performances of Fifteen Dogs.
The cast of the Shaw Festival 2024 production of "One Man, Two Guvnors" take a bow at curtain call to a standing ovation. Lead actor Peter Fernandes front and centre. Source: my own photograph.
Soundtrack
The lyrics and music for the skiffle band songs written by Grant Olding for performance during the play do not appear in Richard Bean's playscript, except for the lyrics to the finale song "Tomorrow Looks Good From Here". You can hear the entire soundtrack of 15 songs on YouTube from a playlist which starts here or on Spotify here.
Pro-Tip
If you are seeing One Man, Two Guvnors in the theatre, the initial several songs by the skiffle band are often treated as a prologue and might begin 10 or so minutes before the announced curtain time of the play. So get there early 😉
Trivia and Links
One Man, Two Guvnors premiered in the UK in 2011 with James Corden in the role of Francis Hensall which was a breakthrough role for the actor, who went on to reprise the role on Broadway in NYC. A trailer for the Broadway run can be seen here.
Review of the Dramatists Play Services Inc. paperback (January 2013) of the Oberon Plays (National Theatre) original (2011) adapted from the original Italian comedy of Carlo Goldoni's Il Servitore Di Due Padroni (The Servant of Two Masters) (1745).
I went to a recent live performance of One Man, Two Guvnors at Canada's Shaw Festival in Niagara-On-The-Lake this past weekend and it was the most hilarious and entertaining play of the several that I saw. Much of that has to do with the often outrageous performances by the cast and several clever improvisations and interactions with the audience. Saying more about the latter would be a huge spoiler though.
Reading the play and the source material afterwards shows that almost all of it was on the written page and had its basis in the Italian original. The setting becomes 1963 in Brighton, England rather than 1745 in Venice, Italy. This allows for various early Beatles and skiffle band references and performances. On the page, some of it will probably read flat and some of the jokes (esp. some inside-baseball British circumstances) might fly over your head. In a live performance though, a talented cast can pull it all off with a manic energy which will keep an audience roaring throughout.
Poster for Canada's Shaw Festival 2024 production of "One Man, Two Guvnors" featuring Peter Fernandes in the role of Francis Henshall. Image sourced from Shaw Festival.
In the Shaw Festival production I only noticed one major change from the playscript. Several disparaging references about moving to Australia in the original were changed to moving to Canada in order to allow some self-deprecatory humour by the Canuck actors.
A 4 star rating for the script, which can easily become a 5 star on the stage with a cast that can pull it off. In the Canadian production I especially enjoyed the performance of Peter Fernandes in the lead role of Frances Henshall, recognizing him from performances early last year as Benjy the Beagle in the Crow's Theatre performances of Fifteen Dogs.
The cast of the Shaw Festival 2024 production of "One Man, Two Guvnors" take a bow at curtain call to a standing ovation. Lead actor Peter Fernandes front and centre. Source: my own photograph.
Soundtrack
The lyrics and music for the skiffle band songs written by Grant Olding for performance during the play do not appear in Richard Bean's playscript, except for the lyrics to the finale song "Tomorrow Looks Good From Here". You can hear the entire soundtrack of 15 songs on YouTube from a playlist which starts here or on Spotify here.
Pro-Tip
If you are seeing One Man, Two Guvnors in the theatre, the initial several songs by the skiffle band are often treated as a prologue and might begin 10 or so minutes before the announced curtain time of the play. So get there early 😉
Trivia and Links
One Man, Two Guvnors premiered in the UK in 2011 with James Corden in the role of Francis Hensall which was a breakthrough role for the actor, who went on to reprise the role on Broadway in NYC. A trailer for the Broadway run can be seen here.
September 17, 2024
What a riot! This is the funniest play I've ever read and I cannot wait to be a part of it 🫣
August 8, 2021
I was supremely delighted by this hilarious retelling. Those crazy Brits can write a good wheeze, cant they? I hope every country gets a crack at this one. This is a universally funny play. I would love to see an big Bollywood version, or a wacky futuristic space opera.
February 27, 2018
Reading this play, I found myself bored by the slapstick nature and comedy but I powered on through to the end.
On the other hand once I saw a live production, I found myself rather enjoying the play as a whole.
I understand there would be no play without the author, but I do believe that there is a lot of room for interpretation and what I enjoyed more about the production than the book was the engaging side- something the book I didn’t find had the power to do.
I would recommend seeing a production rather than just reading the play by itself.
On the other hand once I saw a live production, I found myself rather enjoying the play as a whole.
I understand there would be no play without the author, but I do believe that there is a lot of room for interpretation and what I enjoyed more about the production than the book was the engaging side- something the book I didn’t find had the power to do.
I would recommend seeing a production rather than just reading the play by itself.
August 29, 2024
I read this play having been cast as Stanley Stubbers in an upcoming performance (Caxton Theatre, 30th Nov - 7th Dec 2024). As such, this is a great pay. As Stanley, I’ve got a number of very funny lines to deliver, I quite like, “First names are for girls and Norwegians”, but I’ve got a lot more. I also get to have a number of fun reactions, some great back and forth dialogue with Francis - all the ‘dead of diphtheria in Didcot stuff’ and involved in a brilliant slapstick scene where I get to knock a man out several times with a door, once with a cricket bat and then spray a woman with a fire extinguisher.
Francis has many great lines and back-and-forths, I also love the Cockney gangster, Clench, and his stupid daughter. Her lover is an actor who has one of my favourite lines in the play, “I’m dangerous, like a wasp buzzing in a shop window”. We haven’t started rehearsing yet but I reckon it’ll be enormous fun, and I hope the audience enjoy it too.
I went to see it back in 2011, after the UK tour when it was playing in the Haymarket. James Corden was Francis. I don’t seem to have the Corden-hate people have now, but I didn’t particularly have the Corden-love people had then. Either way, I remember him being fairly good in the role. Since I saw this play, I took up reviewing and have seen hundreds of plays, shows and ‘whatevers’ since and so don’t remember it very well. I did meet Richard Bean at the premiere of his (at present) latest, ‘To Have and to Hold’ at the Hampstead Theatre. That was very good, but not as funny as this.
One of the biggest pleasures in reading the script are the alternative gags. Some are replacements for jokes that might be a little too close to the bone, some are simply suggestions for improvised bits and some to replace gags that might be too parochial. It’s fun to see, in the script, slightly different ways it could go - as I say, we haven’t started rehearsing yet, so I don’t know if Archie will beat up the rozzers or fall off the pier.
A little stranger, and presumably put in for American readers, are the descriptions of perfectly mundane Britishisms. The script explains what a double yellow line means or what goolies are.
All in all, this is a pretty enjoyable script to read because of the sharp one liners and fourth wall gags, but like all farces, it’s not a patch on seeing it (and even less a patch on doing it)
Francis has many great lines and back-and-forths, I also love the Cockney gangster, Clench, and his stupid daughter. Her lover is an actor who has one of my favourite lines in the play, “I’m dangerous, like a wasp buzzing in a shop window”. We haven’t started rehearsing yet but I reckon it’ll be enormous fun, and I hope the audience enjoy it too.
I went to see it back in 2011, after the UK tour when it was playing in the Haymarket. James Corden was Francis. I don’t seem to have the Corden-hate people have now, but I didn’t particularly have the Corden-love people had then. Either way, I remember him being fairly good in the role. Since I saw this play, I took up reviewing and have seen hundreds of plays, shows and ‘whatevers’ since and so don’t remember it very well. I did meet Richard Bean at the premiere of his (at present) latest, ‘To Have and to Hold’ at the Hampstead Theatre. That was very good, but not as funny as this.
One of the biggest pleasures in reading the script are the alternative gags. Some are replacements for jokes that might be a little too close to the bone, some are simply suggestions for improvised bits and some to replace gags that might be too parochial. It’s fun to see, in the script, slightly different ways it could go - as I say, we haven’t started rehearsing yet, so I don’t know if Archie will beat up the rozzers or fall off the pier.
A little stranger, and presumably put in for American readers, are the descriptions of perfectly mundane Britishisms. The script explains what a double yellow line means or what goolies are.
All in all, this is a pretty enjoyable script to read because of the sharp one liners and fourth wall gags, but like all farces, it’s not a patch on seeing it (and even less a patch on doing it)
December 23, 2022
Carlo Goldoni’s classic play The Servant of Two Masters is given a mile-a-minute, laugh-out-loud funny, freshly modern adaptation. Guvnors is a delightful farce filled to the brim with lovable (or lovably hatable) characters. The plot is tried and true — coming from a centuries old play — and is utterly delightful. The jokes themselves feel as fresh as the updated characters. My biggest problem with the jokes is that some rely on “fat jokes” at the expense of Francis (the titular “One Man”); however, despite the insensitivity thrown his way, Francis remains the standout character of the show. Francis is the epitome of the harlequin. He is the play’s comic hero, and despite being a fool, a liar, and a swindler, the character remains so charming that I cannot help but root for his triumph. The side characters also remain delightful, providing great comic roles for men and women (Rachel Crabbe — disguised as her dead brother — being another standout). The play a balancing act between British wit and madcap physical comedy, and Richard Bean combines these elements into a wonderfully hilarious theatrical experience.
February 20, 2021
This really is a play of two halves. The first half is dull, old-fashioned, potentially offensive to working class people, and completely lacking in originality. I only really laughed at the repeated jokes about Parkhurst. However, the second half is fresh, witty, full of word play, metatheatrical addresses to the audience that comment of dramatic structure, and some satisfying farcical twists. If truth be told, it starts to improve dramatically at the end of the first act, when dramatic irony incites a character to talk about when there's finally a female Prime Minister (Thatcher) that she'll be kind, compassionate, maternal, care for the poor and against war.
I should clarify that I pushed on to read this because of a general interest in farce, despite switching off the National Theatre at home production after only 20 minutes. I was pleasently surprised with second act and might even give the production another shot, though I tend to find James Corden annoying.
I should clarify that I pushed on to read this because of a general interest in farce, despite switching off the National Theatre at home production after only 20 minutes. I was pleasently surprised with second act and might even give the production another shot, though I tend to find James Corden annoying.
November 9, 2020
I watched the live performance of One Man, Two Guvnors over the summer during the National Theatre at Home, and then again recently on PBS. I found this play a great piece of British comedy and improvisation, especially James Corden's Tony award winning performance. Not initially knowing there were two different versions of the play, I later decided to request the U.K. AND U.S. editions of the play from the library to compare and contrast the texts.
A modernization of the 18th century Italian comedy A Servant of Two Masters, One Man, Two Guvnors is very faithful to the original storyline from the use of improv to the insane shenanigans that take place on stage. Like many theatre productions, One Man, Two Guvnors is a play that is best seen performed live, but if you enjoy reading theatre scripts, it is a fun afterwards read to get the jokes one might have missed in the performance. When it comes to thoughts about the two editions of the play, I personally prefer the original U.K. script. Both the U.K. and U.S. editions do keep the same scenic layout and dramatic action. However, in the U.S. edition there are changes and additional lines that either hit or miss for me. Some of the new lines do take me out of the moment and seem to drag too long (one example is an added fourth wall joke with a long-winded nod to the original Italian play). This argument is mostly likely a matter of opinion with seeing the U.K. edition performed first and the U.S. edition might be better for those who might not get many of the British jokes. Whichever script you choose, I would highly recommend One Man, Two Guvnors as a great example of British stage comedy and insist for people to see the live performance on the PBS website before December. Hope this will be an enjoyment to all who are missing live theatre right now!
A modernization of the 18th century Italian comedy A Servant of Two Masters, One Man, Two Guvnors is very faithful to the original storyline from the use of improv to the insane shenanigans that take place on stage. Like many theatre productions, One Man, Two Guvnors is a play that is best seen performed live, but if you enjoy reading theatre scripts, it is a fun afterwards read to get the jokes one might have missed in the performance. When it comes to thoughts about the two editions of the play, I personally prefer the original U.K. script. Both the U.K. and U.S. editions do keep the same scenic layout and dramatic action. However, in the U.S. edition there are changes and additional lines that either hit or miss for me. Some of the new lines do take me out of the moment and seem to drag too long (one example is an added fourth wall joke with a long-winded nod to the original Italian play). This argument is mostly likely a matter of opinion with seeing the U.K. edition performed first and the U.S. edition might be better for those who might not get many of the British jokes. Whichever script you choose, I would highly recommend One Man, Two Guvnors as a great example of British stage comedy and insist for people to see the live performance on the PBS website before December. Hope this will be an enjoyment to all who are missing live theatre right now!
December 30, 2024
This was another play I considered teaching for the comedy part of A-Level English. This is a great farce in the commedia style and reinterprets it in a modern way. The play has elements of farce, cross dressing, marriages, villainy and transports it into 1960’s Brighton. I didn’t see James Corden in it, but you can hear him really clearly in Francis’ words, whom he played. Light, witty, fast and silly…….a great play with a good deal going on below the surface about society then and now. I really enjoyed reading it and immersing myself in this text for an evening.
May 23, 2023
Having played the role of Francis Henshall in over 11 shows, I can speak for this play. I loved being a part of it. The ribald jokes are on every page. I loved the opportunities for improv. I loved the Commedial dell'Arte tradition that it revives. I loved the physical comedy. It quickly became for me an ideal theatrical experience to play the man-child, clownish Henshall. This has become my favorite comic role (my favorite tragic role was playing Rothko in Red).
April 11, 2020
Hilarious and light-hearted play. Highly recommended, especially the National Theatre version with James Corden - silly yet adorable ("Tough one that, innit."). It rarely happens that the actors deliberately overplay their characters and I still find it really entertaining.
August 25, 2021
After doing The Servant of Two Masters (A THREE HOUR SHOW) written in 2009, this adaptation feels like a breeze and it's fun to see the same beats with a new atmosphere.
The dinner scene feels like one hell of a good time.
The dinner scene feels like one hell of a good time.
October 11, 2023
I meannnn it's alRIGHT. Overrated as f-%& in my opinion...
Nah, it's alright. Think it would be better to see live 100% and more enjoyable, just found it very similar to Much ado about Nothing, and I wasn't keen on that either.
But like I said, I can see this being great live.
Nah, it's alright. Think it would be better to see live 100% and more enjoyable, just found it very similar to Much ado about Nothing, and I wasn't keen on that either.
But like I said, I can see this being great live.
November 11, 2017
Hilarious. And a fun (and up-to-date) way to teach commedia dell'arte and the Servant of Two Masters.
November 25, 2017
One of those plays, that because of its physicality, works less well on the page than it does in the theatre. There are some great lines in here though and I did find myself laughing out loud.
March 11, 2018
As funny on the page as it was on the stage!
July 26, 2018
Brilliant adaptation. Moliere should be proud. And leeway for cast and director to make some really fun choices. This is an update we can work with!
September 6, 2018
Hilarious and well adapted.
April 2, 2020
National Theatre live.
April 2, 2020
This show is very funny but has some quite antiquated jokes.
April 6, 2020
Highly entertaining update of the 18th century Italian play moved to Brighton in 1963.
April 9, 2020
Play.
Farce. See also Servant of Two Masters (Comedian d’ell Arte) by Carlo Goldoni.
Farce. See also Servant of Two Masters (Comedian d’ell Arte) by Carlo Goldoni.
April 21, 2020
National Theatre at home
June 6, 2020
There were a few laughs, but overall, it's just another farce. And alas, I just don't care for the genre.
June 10, 2020
Fantastically fun play. Excellent.
June 11, 2020
I enjoy the concept of this play. There is a climax to it but also an underlying story. It was great to see the character development as well. The comedic element is delightful.
February 2, 2024
I watched this a long time ago so the physical comedy worked better for me than it might for a first-timer but still great!
April 1, 2024
Very funny
June 24, 2024
I don’t normally laugh much while reading my hot damn this play. 4.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews