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One Man Two Guvnors

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  3w, 6m

Songs by Grant Olding
Adapted from “Il servitore di due padroni” by Carlo Goldoni

Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small time East End hood, now in Brighton to collect £6,000 from the dad of his fiancée. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who has been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers, for whom Stanley also works. Simple. In this riotous comedy, even the audience is brought along on Francis’ madcap quest to serve two masters and get the girl. Full of high-energy physical comedy and crackling banter, One Man, Two Guvnors moves at a breakneck pace and leaves audiences rolling in the aisles.

*Please note that, for a production, you must use the Samuel French acting edition*

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 6m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Farce, Adaptation (Stage & Screen)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 2021 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
    Nominee: Six 2012 Tony Awards
    Nominee: 2012 Olivier Award for Best New Play
    Winner! 2011 Evening Standard Theatre Awards for Best Play

Details

Summary

Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small time East End hood, now in Brighton to collect £6,000 from the dad of his fiancée. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who has been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers, for whom Stanley also works. Simple. In this riotous comedy, even the audience is brought along on Francis’ madcap quest to serve two masters and get the girl. Full of high-energy physical comedy and crackling banter, One Man, Two Guvnors moves at a breakneck pace and leaves audiences rolling in the aisles.

Holed up at The Cricketers Arms, the permanently ravenous Francis spots the chance of an extra meal ticket and takes a second job with one Stanley Stubbers, who is hiding from the police and waiting to be reunited with Rachel. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two guvnors apart.

Based on the classic Italian comedy The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, in this new English version by prizewinning playwright Richard Bean, with songs and music by Grant Olding, sex, food and money are high on the agenda. Critically-acclaimed and highly-awarded on both sides of the Atlantic, One Man, Two Guvnors is one of the great modern comedies.

*Please note that, for a production, you must use the Samuel French acting edition*

History

One Man, Two Guvnors debuted at the National Theatre in London on 24 May 2011. It then transferred to the West End, opening at the Adelphi Theatre on 21 November 2011. The show’s Broadway premiere was at the Music Box Theatre on 18 April 2012. All three productions starred James Corden in the lead role.

Cast Attributes

FRANCIS – Essex boy. (Truffaldino).
STANLEY STUBBERS – Mid-20s. Home counties, privately educated. (Florindo Aretusi; 2nd Master).
RACHEL CRABBE – Mid-20s. London. (Beatrice Rasponi; 1st Master).
HARRY DANGLE – 60s. Crooked solicitor. Rottingdean/tries to be posh Brighton. (Lombardi). Partner in Dangle, Berry and Bush Solicitors.
CHARLIE “THE DUCK” CLENCH – 50s. Brighton based but originally London. (Pantalone).
LLOYD BOATENG – Friend to Clench. 50s. Ex-London/Jamaican. (Brighella).
PAULINE CLENCH – His daughter. Brighton. (Clarice).
ALAN – The son of Dangle. (Silvio).
DOLLY – An employee of Clench. 30s. Brighton. (Smeraldina).
WAITERS/PORTERS – As required.

  • Time Period 1960s
  • Setting

    Brighton, England. Various settings, 1963.

  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Audience Participation/Interactive, Physical Comedy, Play with Music, Stage Combat
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“Comic perfection.” – Daily Telegraph

“A triumph of visual and verbal comedy.” – The Guardian

“Few theatergoing experiences are as joyously liberating as being part of a packed house roaring with laughter at low comedy.” – Hollywood Reporter

“Dazzling and delirious staging, which establishes the ingeniously absurd setups and then accelerates them, shifting into higher and higher comic gear...management should be required to install restraints for the seats, as you’re likely to be falling out of yours from laughing so hard.” – NY Review

“The funniest show in the western world.” – Daily Mail

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

Staging a Sell-Out Show in Your Local Theatre
by Maria Arroja Ferreira
November 8, 2019

Videos

  • Clips from the show youtube thumbnail

    Clips from the show

Photos

  • One Man Two Guvnors

    Image: 2011 National Theatre Production (Tristram Kenton)

  • One Man Two Guvnors

    Image: 2011 National Theatre Production (Tristram Kenton)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

Available Formats:

Authors

Richard Bean

Richard Bean was born in Hull in 1956. After school, he worked in a bread plant before leaving to study Social Psychology at Loughborough University. Richard has worked as a psychologist and a stand-up comedian. His work for the stage includes: Young Marx (which has just ...
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