One Man Two Guvnors review, The Lyttleton

Richard Bean is a genius. What's more, he's a prolific genius. Not that long after we'd howled our way through England People Very Nice (spot-on, though the PC lobby hated the racial stereotyping), he knocked out The Heretic which cocked-a-snook at global warming through a tale of domestic dysfunction and academic hanky-panky. Now we have One Man Two Guvnors, Bean's glorious reframing of an old Italian farce The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni.

Cordon bin lid astray

Starring James Corden as a skiffle player turned gofer who finds himself serving two very different bosses - a posh-twerp murderer and a cross-dressed pretend-mafiosi - in 1960s Brighton, it is panto for grown-ups. Aided and abetted by a pitch perfect cast, Corden runs away with the plot which is sort-of running away with itself anyway, at one point serving the same lunch simultaneously to both guvnors with the help of a crippled 87-year-old hotel waiter who only started that day and can't do stairs. If you have bladder problems, desist from drinking before entering The Lyttleton as the entire audience is in danger of either combusting or going pop in the first half.  

Book-ending the mayhem, an in-house skiffle band performs impressive faux-Beatles numbers, often with cast members providing curious counterpoint. There's a lot of audience interaction: beware the front row. Mark Thompson's set will have you yearning for Brighton rock, but the rocky issue at the heart of the tale - whether or not the two guvnors, lovers in real life, will be reunited - is purely incidental. Personal favourites: Oliver Chris as the posh twerp, Daniel Rigby as the young act-or and Tom Edden as the waiter. Corden, returning to The Lyttleton for the first time since The History Boys is a physical tour-de-force adding to the joy on the night I went by accidentally splitting his trousers halfway through. Nicholas Hyntner whose production choices across our national theatres are either rank or royal, has created a work of art.

Conclusion: The direction, staging and timing are flawless, the visual gags custard-pie hilarious. The second half is less demonic, but still cracking. Beg borrow or steal a ticket! A West End transfer starts shortly.

References:

One Man Two Guvnors tour dates

Richard Bean, Wiki bio

Michael Billington in The Guardian.