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cahwyguy
September has really been the month for comedies on the stage. We started out the month with a silly jokefest, Shucked, at the Pantages. We followed that (after a brief interlude for Fiddler, in Yiddish, which has its funny moments as well) with Eureka Day at the Pasadena Playhouse. We concluded September last night with One Man, Two Guvnors at A Noise Within. Each of these was very very funny, but each was a very very different type of comedy.
Shucked was primarily a joke fest. There, the emphasis was on funny, but borderline stupid writing. Think Hee Haw on stage, which was actually the intent of the show.
Eureka Day was more intellectual. There the humor came from a wittier level of repartee, from insults and not-so-veiled digs. The whole online chat sequence was hysterical.
One Man, Two Guvnors was much more the classic farce, and as the patron guide pointed out, an almost classic version of Commedia dell’arte. That’s not a surprise, as One Man, Two Guvnors was based on the Italian play The Servant of Two Masters, written by the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793) who invented the term. As the guide notes: “Commedia dell’arte plays feature recognizable character types, also known as stock characters. These include the Young Lovers, the Clowns (sometimes called Zanni, from which the English word “zany” may derive), the Old Man (who often stands in the way of the Young Lovers), the Clever Servant, the Main Couple (older and wiser than the Young Lovers), the Doctor/Professor, the Clever Maidservant, and the Boastful Military Captain.”
But One Man, Two Guvnors also heavily adds elements of both farce and improvisation. The farce comes from the heavy use of physical comedy, precise timing, and lots of wordplay. The improvisation comes from breaking the fourth wall and involving audience members in the show. At least they seem to be audience members, although one may have been a plant. But this means the actors must be nimble enough to adapt to the audience response and answers.
There’s a good chance you might have seen a version of this play. A few years ago, James Cordan did a version of the play in New York and the West End. It was recorded and broadcast on PBS.
The show is set in 1963, and as usual, the plot is contrived and silly. Pauline Clench, daughter of Charlie “the Duck” Clench, is engaged to marry Alan Dangle, son of Harry Dangle. The problem is the Pauline was previously engaged to Roscoe Crabbe as part of a financial business arrangement with her father to provide cover for Roscoe, who was gay. But Roscoe was killed by Stanley Stubber, the boyfriend of Roscoe’s (identical) twin sister, Rachel. Roscoe’s man, Francis Henshall (the harlequin in this play) shows up with Rachel disguised as Roscoe on the night of the engagement party, and this is the start of the hilarity. Francis ends up being employed as a servant to both Roscoe/Rachel and Stanley, with neither knowing about the other. Add to this Charlie’s bookkeeper, Dolly, who is sweet on Francis; Alfie, an incredibly old waiter at the inn; and Lloyd, a long time friend of Charlie and owner of the pub where much of the action takes place. Oh, and Paddy, who is blamed for everything. Mix this up, stir it up, and as they say, “hilarity ensures”.
Additionally, there is a four-piece skiffle band on stage (this is the early 1960s type of band that birthed the Beatles). This isn’t a musical per se, as the music does not relate to the story or move it forward. But it is a play with music, and the music is quite good and funny. The music serves to set the time and tone of the piece.
The cast was very talented, especially Kasey Mahaffy as Francis Henshall. Mahaffy is a master of the physical comedy and the improvisation, and was consistently entertaining. He was the center of the show, and his timing really made the show work. Also outstanding was Trisha Miller as Dolly, Cassandra Marie Murphy as Pauline, and Christie Coran as Rachel. Josey Montana McCoy was wonderful as Alfie, handling his physical comedy well. In the ensemble, Vic Crusaos was really strong, especially in the first act.
We hadn’t been to A Noise Within in ages: our last show there was Three Penny Opera in 2015. A Noise Within focuses on the classics; we tend to go for the rarely done shows. I’ll keep my eyes open for upcoming shows of interest. Their upcoming season includes Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Oct 12-Nov 9); A Christmas Carol (Nov 29-Dec 24); Richard III (Feb 8-Mar 8); Death of a Salesman (Mar 22-Apr 19); and Exit the King (Ionesco), May 3-31.
Alas, your opportunities to see One Man Two Guvnors is limited; it is 1130am as I write this, and the last performance is today at 200pm. Visit the show page at A Noise Within for more information.
Credits
One Man, Two Guvnors. Written by Richard Bean, based on The Servent of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. Songs by Grant Olding. Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Goeff Elliott.
Cast (æ denotes Actors Equity member): Kasey Mahaffyæ Francis Henshall; Ty Aldridgeæ Stanley Stubbers; Christie Coranæ Rachel Crabbe; Paul David Storyæ Alan Dangle; Trisha Milleræ Dolly; Cassandra Marie Murphyæ Pauline Clench; Luis Kelly-Duarte Lloyd Boateng; Henri Lubattiæ Charlie Clench; Lynn Robert Bergæ Harry Dangle; Josey Montana McCoyæ Alfie; Evan Lugo Gareth; Adriel Camarena Ensemble; Vic Crusaos Ensemble; Cristian Venegas Ensemble. Understudies: Scott Harrisæ u/s Francis Henshall; Evan Lugo u/s Stanley Stubbers; Lucy Parks Urbano u/s Rachel Crabbe; Nate Ritsemaæ u/s Alan Dangle; Becca Savoyæ u/s Dolly / Pauline Clench; Francis C. Edemobi u/s Lloyd Boateng; Alistair McKenzieæ u/s Charlie Clench / Harry Dangle; Mac Rodgersæ u/s Alfie / Gareth.
Music Department: Rob Bagheri Music Director, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboard, Lead Vocals; Cody Volk Electric Guitar, Background Vocals; Mike Selfridge Upright Bass, Electric Bass, Background Vocals; Art Pacheco Drums, Washboard, Background Vocals.
Production and Creative: Julia Rodriguez-Elliott Producing Artistic Director / Director; Geoff Elliott Producing Artistic Director / Director; Angela Sonneræ Production Stage Manager; Hope Matthewsæ Assistant Stage Manager; Frederica Nascimento Scenic Designer; Ken Booth Lighting Designer; Jeff Gardner Sound Designer; Kenneth R. Merckx Jr. Fight Choreographer; Andrew Odinov Dialect Coach; Nicholas Santiago Projection Design; Sasha Smith Intimacy Coordinator; Indira Tyler 1960’s Dance Consultant; Stephen Taylor Properties Designer / Technical Coordinator; Tony Valdes Wig / Makeup Designer; Dr. Miranda Johnson-Haddad Resident Dramaturg; Douglas Love-Ramos Managing Director; Alison Rodriquez Casting Director.
Administrivia
I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.
Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).
- October: ♣ Fly Me to the Moon at The Soraya; ♦ Hairspray at 5-Star Theatricals; ♦ ha ha ha ha ha ha at Pasadena Playhouse
- November: ♦ Jaja’s African Hair Braiding at CTG/Taper; ♦ Paranormal Activity at CTG/Ahmanson; ♦ Suffs at BIH/Pantages;
- December: ◊ ACSAC Conference; ♣ Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular at The Soraya; ♦ Stereophonic at BIH/Pantages;
This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Commedia on the Brighton Line | "One Man, Two Guvnors" @ A Noise Within by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.