It’s February, the shiftless month for which we’ve created not one but two holidays to distract ourselves with.
But if you’re looking for better relief from the rain, hopefully you find yourself at One Man, Two Guvnors, the hilarious Arts Club romp through Brighton, England.
Based on an Italian commedia dell’arte from 1753, British playwright Richard Bean has shifted the slapstick to 1963 and run wild, riffing on historical hindsight and the pettiness of the Commonwealth with a whiff of something plucked from the gutter.
Struggling busker Francis Henshall thinks he’s scored big when he gets employed as muscle for gay gangster Roscoe Crabbe. What Francis doesn’t know is that Roscoe is dead, and currently being impersonated by his twin sister, Rachel.
Tragically for her, Rachel is in love with Stanley Stubbers, the handsome halfwit who killed Roscoe and is currently on the run from police.
In a sleepy town like Brighton it’s inevitable that all parties shall meet, and soon Francis finds himself haplessly employed by both Rachel and Stanley (unbeknownst to them), and the comedy of errors ensues.
As Francis, Andrew McNee is a swaggering stallion, a sex and food-starved lothario with enough charm to break the fourth wall and wade wickedly into the audience, lapping up the heckled adoration. His stomach's empty; our bellies are full of laughter.
As the lovelorn Stanley, Martin Happer fills the stage with rakish appeal and delivers even the most absurb one-liners with an endearingly collegiate arrogance.
Ryan Beil, playing affianced thespian Alan Dangle with all the misguided melodrama of a Dudley Do-Right, is another standout – a dark island of angst amongst a sea of pastel.
As Roscoe/Rachel, however, Celine Stubel struggles to pick an accent, and the 150-minute run time, flanked by dreary set pieces, feels a bit long.
But then in dashes the mop-topped skiffle band of the opening act to take you back to the boardwalk, back to the ‘60s, and back to your seat at the Stanley, where it’s definitely not raining tonight.
• One Man, Two Guvnors is at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage until Feb. 22. ArtsClub.com
