Entertainment
8 November, 2024
Latest Rondo play ‘hilariously chaotic’
ABSURD, witty and hilariously chaotic 'One Man, Two Guvnors' by the Rondo Theatre is a very well-acted piece of comedy that will suit fans of physical comedy and outrageous characters.
The sold-out One Man, Two Guvnors, is a very straightforward comedy that takes you back to a time where comedy was not as intricate or intellectual but rather just uncomplicated.
With its mix of physical comedy, a cast of hilarious characters – each with its very particular colour – it drags the audience in, gets them involved and on board with the absurdity of its plot and jokes.
The show takes us to Brighton, England in 1963 where we meet Francis Henshall whose sole purpose in life is to work for a meal.
Then he finds himself without a job, he jumps on board to help Roscoe Crabbe, a presumed dead gangster, who is looking to fulfill a marriage arrangement to Charlie Crabbe’s daughter Pauline who is in love with her fiancé Alan.
What they don’t know is that Mr Crabbe is being impersonated by his sister Rachel and she’s planning to run away with her brother’s murderer Stanley Stubbers, an upper-class dunce.
Mr Henshall ends up mistakenly hired by Mr Stubbers and, with two guvnors to serve, all chaos ensues.
The cast led by Barry McGinley, who plays Francis Henshall, is magnificent.
McGinley’s physical comedy never ceases to amuse but his ability to improvise, get the crowd involved and his unstoppable wittiness make him an ideal protagonist.
However, all characters command the stage when they’re in it with their little quirks like airhead Pauline played by Scarlett Terry with her hilarious walk and clueless demeanor, fiancé Alan played by Finn George-Newman – my personal favourite – a complete idiot and over the top actor, Stanley Stubbers played by CJ Bowers and his outrageous and hilarious pointers and Alicia Clark as Roscoe and Rachel and her attempts at pretending to be a man.
Overall, the play was a completely absurd, yet hysterical experience full of twists, turns, misunderstandings and blows to the nether region that will surely get you to break into a fit of laughter at least once.
