Preview

One Man Two Guvnors Review

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
676 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
One Man Two Guvnors Review
One Man, Two Guvnors Review

One Man, Two Guvnors a Farce, based on The Servant of Two Masters (1753 Carlo Goldoni) and directed by Nicholas Hytner, promised to be a fantastic show that would make our sides leak with contagious laughter, this was quite accurate. Whether it was the colourful characters or the jocular jokes you fell in love with, this show has the absolute best of both worlds. When first hearing the rather bland title of “One Man, Two Guvnors” not much was expected, but boy was this wrong. The National Theater of Great Britain presented the show with complete synchronization with one another it was almost like the audience was watching through a window straight into 1963 Brighton.

The whole production starts with a sharply dressed Skiffle band, entertaining the crowd as they all take their seats and to set the mood that filled the theatre. As the heavy red curtain finally rises after deep anticipation, the stage is decorated with a lounge room scene filled with an array of different characters. The first few minutes seem to pass quite slowly, mainly because it was rather difficult to understand the characters strong British accents and jokes only an Englishman would find funny. The first hint of what is to come, is the entrance of Francis Henshall, the lovable harlequin played by Owain Arthur, as he enters and proceeds to catch a grape in his mouth after somersaulting over a chair and landing on his back, adding a superb element of slapstick to the show. Another golden point is the addition of short musical performances in-between set changes, which kept the audience enthusiastic and didn’t let the energy fade.

Many people would agree that the cast is what brings a show to life, this case is no different. The National Theatre of Great Britain put on a wonderful performance, the actors really connected with each other and the audience. A big part of this show is audience participation, or that’s what they want you to think... With members of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Bouncers Evaluation

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The plot of the performance was about four bouncers, four lads and four girls, who all intertwine with each other at a night club called ‘Asylum’. The performance was heavily stylized, with heavy emphasis on physical theatre, multi rolling and caricatures. The performance also shows some Brechtian influences, where Godber tries to remove the imaginary ‘Fourth Wall’, this meant there was a great deal of audience interaction with the actors. The play also had a lot of dark comedy, with a few serious parts.…

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    One Man, Two Guvnors is a play written by Richard Bean. The style of this play is a Commedia dell’arte comedy. A Commedia dell’arte play is when the actors are able to improvise based on the scenarios and interact with the audience. One Man, Two Guvnors takes place in 1960 in Brighton with Francis Henshall who's job is to keep the two men guvnors Roscoe Crabbe who is the local gangster…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    As the film starts, the opening captions reads exactly what the film is about and establishes the way in which Chaplin is going to perform by stating “A Comedy Romance In Pantomime.” The film begins with the unveiling of a new city statue by the mayor and assorted aristocrats. However, a sleeping tramp is revealed resting on it once the white sheet is removed for the ceremony. The Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) ungraciously dismounts from the marble statue in humorist fashion.…

    • 1270 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drowsy Chaperone

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Drowsy Chaperone is an interesting show that was performed from October 31st to November 4th at Westminster College. The show is a parody of people in the 1920’s. The story revolves around a middle aged man in a chair who is a theatre fan who plays his favorite record for the audience to hear. The record is The Drowsy Chaperone and from start to finish the audience is in for a unique experience within this play. This play is comedic, upbeat and has a heartwarming story. The whole show mainly focuses on the relationship between the glamorous show girl Janet Van De Graaff and the handsome, poised Robert Martin; the main characters of the show in Westminster’s productions were played by Hannah Timm and Ian Davis. They did an extraordinary job in all of their appearances. Being involved in The Drowsy Chaperone was a special experience for me. This was the first show that I had speaking lines in, acted and performed in and was involved in helping with the construction and deconstruction of the set pieces. I have been involved in musicals and theatrical productions for six years now. Within those six years this year the year I was involved in The Drowsy Chaperone by far was my favorite production. This is due to the fact that I was highly involved in different aspects of the show. I greatly enjoyed being involved within the production of The Drowsy Chaperone as much as I was.…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Master Harold and the Boys

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The play Master Harold and the Boys is thrilling, entertaining and challenges many ideas, preconceptions and ones view of society. Master Harold and The Boys has a clear motif, and is choreographed incredibly well and strategically.…

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The stage is dark. The audience shuffles and makes quiet chatter as they wait pseudo-patiently for the night’s show to begin. All at once the lights go up to a blinding brightness and a slow song stumbles from the speakers just before the actors step into the scene. On Golden Pond is a comedy about growing older, with jokes aimed at the mostly older audience members that left the crowd giggling and grinning. Even in its darker moments this play managed to keep a light easy air, giving it a happy and relaxed feeling, almost as if we too were at a summer home on a pond. On February 2nd, a friend and I enjoyed the production put on by Dalton ACT theater.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In my most honest opinion, I believe the ideal actor audience relationship is something that transcends the normal criteria for a performer/audience relationship. It can be a passive or active relationship, for both types fulfill their purpose-creating emotional stimuli- on some level. There is an unspoken, unseen connection between those in the seat and those in the stage. Both viewer and actor feed off each other, whether it is the subtle shedding of a tear from the front row or the impact of a tomato on an underwhelming performer’s face. There wouldn’t be an audience without actors and vice versa for the audience pays for a ticket to be entertained and the actor performs to entertain the audience.…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bouncers Essay

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The play takes you through a typical Friday night in town at a club called ‘asylum,’ which creates a strong reference suggesting it is a place where all the ‘crazy’ people go. It begins with each of the four bouncers individually walking on stage with a solid posture as a Bouncer. Each one would then suddenly break out into a dance move; the first bouncer was able to ‘lock and pop’ really well and as each one came out, the worse they got, immediately connecting with the audience as they found it hilarious. This is one of Godber’s techniques to keep the audience engaged at all times, as jokes are told that the audience understand and can relate to, ultimately making the performance more enjoyable for both the actors and audience. The play then continues on to tell the story in episodes due to its episodic structure, about a group of four girls who are preparing for a night out. Godber’s use of clean transitions allowed the plot to unfold fluently; the only four objects on stage (four beer barrels), were collected by the actors whilst they spoke, and two actors collected a beer barrel each to be placed into the centre of the stage acting as chairs and then would continue on to the next scene, making it clear to the audience that there was a scene change by introducing the characters they were representing. This is one of Godber’s techniques that was influenced by Bertolt Brecht, which is used to stop the audience thinking about what the characters are like and just concentrate on the performance. The lighting between transitions also indicated that there was a scene…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play features fairy magic, silly pranks, and the disastrous performance of a play-within-the-play by a bunch of wannabe actors.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the foreground, theatre creates a sense of community within each individual that stays with them even when they leave the program, making it a top priority for individuals who wish to have a quality high-school experience. First and foremost, throughout the process of learning one’s character and learning one’s overall part in the beast of theatre, one creates irrevocable bonds with each of his or her cast members. Something about working together towards a greater goal and releasing one’s…

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Midnight Summer Dream

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Then the scene skips to the characters Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling. Quince gathers the men to discuss the plays they are going to put on for the duke and duchess on their wedding day and the characters they play. Meanwhile through all of this, Bottom keeps interrupting.…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sheffield Theatre Case

    • 7463 Words
    • 30 Pages

    Sheffield Theatre Trust is an awardwinning company and has been quite succesfull for several years.…

    • 7463 Words
    • 30 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Royal Derngate theatre is a producing and presenting theatre. During 2009/10, Royal & Derngate welcomed over 400,000 audience members through its doors to see work on both of its stages and in the Underground space. There is this vast amount of audience members due to national touring by famous comedians, plays and dramas. 20,000 people also took part in over 700 Creative Project sessions that give audiences the chance to get involved in performing, writing and to find out more about what goes on behind the scenes at the theatre.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sheffield theatres trust case

    • 10052 Words
    • 38 Pages

    The Sheffield Theatres Trust is a combination of two theatres, which have their own tradition. The first tradition mentioned is producing high quality theatre in the Crucible and the second tradition is the existence of a strong history of touring theatre in the Lyceum theatre. Establishing high quality artistic work, filling sufficient seats and working without deficits are aims, which had been a challenge for the last ten years.…

    • 10052 Words
    • 38 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “If theatre is to truly represent the people and nation from which it comes, it should draw from its culture, festivals, traditions and folk art; and Trinidad & Tobago’s carnival offers a unique opportunity to create a theatre which truly represents this”. These are the thoughts and words of Errol Hill, with which I concur.…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays