One man, two guvnors

Once again, midweek, it was nigh impossible to get a ticket for the start of the National Theatre tour of One Man, Two Guvnors starring Rufus Hound at Leicester's Curve. There was literally not a single seat left empty on a Thursday night.
The audience were treated, pre curtain up, to the authentic 60's sounds of live group Buddy Holly-ish The Craze who also provided all the music throughput the show. This very adeptly set the period of the piece and got us all in a very positive frame of mind for what was to follow. This isn't a musical but the group and various cast members covered scene changes with an assortment of musical interludes in front of the cloth, as we theatricals call it.
One man, two guvnors is an unashamedly traditional farce. A re-imagining of a 1746 piece by Carlo Goldoni, it has been updated to 1963 and relocated to Brighton. This does not in any way detract from the original whose original plot lines are faithfully reproduced. Mistaken identity, gangsters and thwarted love combine in true farcical fashion to keep an audience in tears from very near the start. I kept expecting to see Brian Rix appear at any moment with no trousers. That particular piece of business was saved til right at the very end. It would have been churlish to have excluded it altogether.
What also sets this show apart from others is the audience involvement. Not only does Rufus Hound talk directly to the front rows but several people get hauled up on stage. This is a dangerous thing to do and it takes a confident performer to be able to carry it off. The night I saw it Rufus picked on someone who had seen the show before and knew what was expected. But, experienced stand up that he is, he was able to make much of this.
While the tortuous plot twists are designed to amuse it is the physical comedy that has an audience gasping for breath. While Rufus Hound as Francis Henshall throws himself around the stage with abandon, wrestling with both himself and various props, perhaps honorable mention should be made of Peter Caulfield and his masterly portrayal of the elderly waiter, Alfie. Very reminiscent of a cross between Dick Emery's old soldier and Julie Walters' 'Two soups' waitress, Caulfield was battered across the stage, up the stage and down the stage like an old rag in the wind.
This is only the first week of the national tour and the first week of Hound's tenure of the role. I fail to see how they can better the production as it travels round the country but do see it for a riotous evening of good old fashioned fun.

© Paul Towers 26/10/2012