Review: ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ at A Noise Within
- Anita W. Harris
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
While some of us can multitask, others — like Francis Henshall (Kasey Mahaffy) in “One Man, Two Guvnors” — find it inexplicably and hilariously challenging. Richard Bean’s 2011 take on Carlo Goldoni’s 1746 Italian “The Servant of Two Masters” re-sets the story to 1960s Brighton, England, complete with skiffle band, twisty dancing, and lots of rollicking mayhem.
The affable but chronically hungry Henshall finds himself working for two “guvnors” who pay him to be their assistant — one the potential murderer Roscoe and the other well-bred Stanley Stubbers (Ty Aldridge, well cast), who loves Roscoe’s twin sister Rachel (Christie Coran). Only we soon find out that the person everyone thinks is Roscoe and should be dead, because he had been stabbed by Stanley, is actually Rachel in disguise.
If that’s not enough for plot twists, add in cockney gangster Charlie (an excellent Henri Lubatti), who wants his dim daughter Pauline (Cassandra Marie Murphy) to marry Roscoe, and wannabe actor Alan (Paul David Story) who loves Pauline — plus the formidable Dolly (well-embodied by Trisha Miller), who is Charlie’s bookkeeper and an experienced single lady — and the result is a frothy shaken-not-stirred cocktail that leaves one giddily lightheaded.
Though Bean updated the original Italian play to a 1963 British context, he kept its Commedia dell'arte roots. Mahaffy is a smartly dressed harlequin but clownish nonetheless, deliciously playing up Henshall’s hunger (be sure to eat before you go), routinely mixing up letters and orders from his two governors, often speaking directly to the audience with a twinkle in his eye and even inviting a few on stage.
Mahaffy is also lithely adept at the physical comedy inherent in his role, as are all the others, especially Josey Montana McCoy as an elderly hard-of-hearing waiter with a pacemaker that gets turned up when Henshall wants him to go faster, usually culminating in Alfie tumbling off stairs at the back of the stage.
Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott, the entire ensemble puts in the energy to sustain a rapid pace and precisely choreographed movements that include racing around, physical altercations, falling into furniture and lots of slammed doors.
There are also several choreographed song-and-dance interludes involving the entire cast (think Austin Powers dance breakouts), accompanied by a rocking four-member band (songs by Grant Olding) directed by Rod Bagheri, who also makes perfectly timed sound effects.
While the comedy antics can get goofy, scenic design (by Frederica Nascimento, with expert lighting design by Ken Booth) and costuming (designed by Garry Lennon) keep things classy. A well-appointed living room, where the story begins and ends, features 1960s-style furniture — including a curved sofa somehow long enough to seat the entire cast — a drinks cart, and projections (by Nick Santiago) that create fabulous wallpaper, cloudy views out the window and later street scenes.
Costumes are also quintessential 1960s, including skinny plaid pants and suits for the men (and Rachel, well disguised as Roscoe), tight pencil skirt for Dolly and poofy dress and flipped up hair for Pauline (wigs and makeup by Tony Valdes) — and even matching suits for the boy-band members.
Overall, “One Man, Two Guvnors” is a transporting, beautifully stylized and wonderfully performed musical romp. While there’s a lot going on with the different characters and motivations, the essential plot is basically the title — one confused man with two employers he does everything he can to keep apart, thereby ensuring they get together in the end.
“One Man, Two Guvnors” continues through Sept. 28 at A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, with performances Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets and information, call (626) 356-3100 or visit anoisewithin.org. Run time is 2 hour and 15 minutes, including intermission.