One Man, Two Guvnors at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury Review
One Man, Two Guvnors
Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury
By Richard Bean | Running time – 2h 30m
11-16 August 2014
Reviewed by Hilary Whates
Billed on the programme cover ‘The smash-hit National Theatre production’ this might be an easy claim to make given it’s track record with a different cast, but to pull it off so superbly is another matter.
With Gavin Spokes now in the role of Francis Henshall – and with a lot to live up to after the incredible success of James Corden originally in this role – he utterly does, totally owning the part and, most of the time, the stage. His engagement with the audience – with hysterical consequences, and his extraordinary slapstick routines had me and audience crying with laughter. I have to say though that I think the absolute star of the first act was without doubt Michael Dylan whose portrayal of clumsy 87 year-old waiter Alfie was just so outstandingly funny I am still laughing. Absolutely brilliant.
The play revolves around a series of relationships which are interwoven through circumstance, promises and misunderstandings – the ever hungry Francis Henshall being the catalyst for all the consequent farcical and in fact utterly ridiculous situations that arise. One of his guvnors being the twin – Rachel Crabbe – pretending to be her murdered brother Roscoe Crabbe who had been engaged to the ditzy blonde daughter (played magnificently by Jasmyn Banks) of Charlie ‘the Duck’ Clench – convincingly portrayed by Shaun Williamson, well known as ‘Barry’ from Eastenders and of course Extras. Still with me? Then there is his other guvnor – the upper class toff Stanley Stubbers (Patrick Warner) who provides endless opportunities for innuendo and slapstick – Henshall attempting to move his luggage being a case in point. Stubbers girlfriend is Rachel Crabbe. However they don’t know that they have both employed the very easily confused Henshall.
Each scene change cleverly brought a musical interlude – the band ‘The Craze’ playing some great music and often accompanied by increasingly more bizarre instruments played by members of the cast from a xylophone to a collection of car horns.
The cast really did seem to be enjoying the play as much as the audience – at times clearly laughing as much as we were. Spokes milked every single moment superbly and indeed the comic timing, hysterical one-liners and performance by the whole cast was just brilliant. The longer first act was just so extraordinarily funny that it felt a little as though the second act struggled a bit to reach those same heights of hilarity. Although still very amusing in places it concentrated more on tidying up the trail of mayhem caused – the finale seeing the whole cast on stage singing and dancing.
A really great evening’s entertainment – make sure you don’t miss it!!!
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £11.90 to £37.90 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
One Man, Two Guvnors is at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury until Saturday 16 August 2014. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 871 7607.
Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Exchange Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP20 1UG
