Written by Richard
Bean
Based on ‘The Servant
Of Two Masters’ by Carlo Goldoni
Directed by Chris Baldock
Canberra REP at
Theatre 3 to 2 December
Reviewed by Len Power
16 November 2018
If laughter is the best medicine, everyone who attended
Canberra REP’s opening night of ‘One Man Two Guvnors’ would be feeling really
well now. Chris Baldock’s wickedly funny
production of this clever adaptation of Goldoni’s 18th century Commedia del’arte play, ‘A Servant Of Two
Masters’, gets everything right.
Instead of period Italy, the play takes place in 1963
Brighton, England, where out of work skiffle player, Francis, finds himself
with two employers and desperately needs to keep them from meeting each
other. In true farce tradition, complications
arise and build to a crazy climax. By then
you won’t care about the plot – you’ll just be hanging out to see what madness
the expert cast will come up with next.
Arran McKenna as the ‘servant’, Francis Henshall, dominates the
play with a winning performance that is technically assured, amazingly physical
and hysterically funny. Paul Sweeney and Patrick Galen-Mules are excellent as the
two very different and quirky ‘masters’ and Meaghan Stewart is a riotous revelation
in the complex role of Rachel Crabbe.
Brenton Cleaves as the actor wannabee, Alan Dangle, is divinely
awful and Holly Ross is a fabulously dim Pauline Clench. Michael Cooper nearly stops the show with his
perfect timing in the knockabout role of old Alfie and Declan James is the very
amusing long-suffering and world weary Gareth.
Steph Roberts is deliciously frowsy as the man-eating Dolly and Patrick
Collins and Marc Mowbray-d’Abela are great fun, too.
Annabel Foulds, Antonia Kitzel and Mark Ritchie as the Ensemble
have their individual moments to shine and they give great seagull, too.
The skiffle band of Nick Dennis, Peter McDonald and Hayley
Manning set the atmosphere for the show with their toe-tapping tunes and they were
joined by various members of the cast who entertained during the scene changes.
The complex set, designed by the director, is attractive and
works very well and Helen Drum’s costumes nicely evoke the early 1960s period.
Chris Baldock has given us a finely directed show
reminiscent of the great English comedians and their signature acts of the 20th
Century. If you need a laugh, you’re
guaranteed to get it here.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast in his ‘On Stage’ performing arts radio program on Mondays
and Wednesdays from 3.30pm on Artsound FM 92.7.