Theatre Performance: One Man, Two Guvnors

One Man, Two Guvnors is a play by Richard Bean, an English adaptation of Servant of Two Masters, a 1743 Commedia dell'arte style comedy play by the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni. The play replaces the Italian period setting of the original with Brighton in 1963. An out-of-work skiffle player named Francis Henshall becomes separately employed by two men – Roscoe Crabbe, a gangster, and Stanley Stubbers, an upper-class twit. Francis tries to keep the two from meeting in order to avoid each of them learning that Francis is also working for someone else. Complicating events, Roscoe is really Rachel Crabbe in disguise, his twin sister. Roscoe had been killed by Rachel's boyfriend, who is none other than Stanley. Complicating it further still is local mobster, Charlie the Duck, who has arranged his daughter Pauline's engagement to Roscoe despite her preference for over-the-top amateur actor Alan Dangle. Even further complications are prompted by several letters, a very heavy trunk, several unlucky audience volunteers, an extremely elderly waiter, and Francis' pursuit of his two passions: Dolly (Charlie's feminist bookkeeper) and fish & chips.

Student-directed by Jackson Helmholtz.

Tickets at gundlachtheatre.org.