THEATRE REVIEW: One Man, Two Guvnors ★★★★★

One Man, Two Guvnors
Royal Theatre Haymarket, London
2nd March 2012 - 1st March 2014

Before attending this performance of One Man Two Guvnors, which I had booked two months prior thanks to the use of The National Thratre's Entry Pass Scheme, I kept hearing from many of my friends who had previously seen the production with James Corden playing Henshall, that the show was amazing and had them in fits of laughter. This left me quite not knowing what to expect, as it felt like to me like they may have hyped it up to much, but alas they were indeed correct because the show was outstanding and had me leaving wanting more.

During this run at The Royal Theatre Haymarket, the role of Henshall is portrayed by Celebrity Juice panelist Rufus Hound. People who may question Hound's comedic side needn't worry, because even though this was the first time watching this classic story, It felt to me like Henshall was written for Hound, as he conveyed the part with such ease, and was hilarious when it came audience participation, in which comes when Henshall is in dire need of help carrying some suitcases.

In terms of the plot, it's very  much straight forward, with the title very much exact where we find Francis Henshall welcome two guvnor's into his life where he must do whatever it takes to make sure he keeps both away from each other. The story was distributed and paced well, allowing to devour the whole plot, and the change in Henshall's character, where in the first half he is meant to be starving, and the second act set on the Francis/Dolly storyline.

Talking of the cast, they were all suited to their characters and each one shone out in their own way at their own time. One outstanding characters for me though was Alan (Harry Kershaw), who was a overdramatic actor, and who brang in metaphors within his speech and at sporadic moments spoke Shakespearean at times. Richard Bean's adaption throughout always allows time for each gag to land effortlessly, with further attention brought in from Nicholas Hytner's direction that bounces Bean's script from one actor to another that keeps the adrenaline souring against Mark Thompson's stylistic backdrop settings.

Overall, One Man Two Guvnors was a play which really proved itself in all areas, allowing itself to stay in your memory with thanks to a stellar cast and technical crew in which bring the piece to life, and is up there with The 39 Steps and Matilda for one my favourite theatre viewing experiences.