This year’s Senior School August Production was Richard Bean’s hilarious One Man, Two Guvnors, a comedic “tour de farce” which takes Goldoni’s original 1743 play A Servant of Two Masters and relocates it to Brighton, England, in the 1960s.
It is difficult to explain the deliberately convoluted plot, except to acknowledge that the central character, Francis Henshall, is working for two bosses – ‘guvnors’ in current British slang – and he doesn’t want either of them to find out. Add some stock characters from Italian commedia dell’arte, stir in a little transvestism, cue a terrific live band, and the show is cooking with gas.
As the hapless Henshall, Jasper Harrington showed off all his skills in language and physical expression, with great comic timing to boot. This was a vastly different role to Harrington’s studied portrayal of Richard III in the Quad Play, and confirmed his great range of dramatic tone and characterisation.
Markus Christiansen brought just the right amount of self- deprecating irony to the role of upper-class snob Stanley Stubbers – one of the guvnors – while Fedele De Campo reprised his character from last year’s Drowsy Chaperone as the ever-so passionate lover Alan Dangle (with Dickensian overtones on the surname…).
Dylan Glatz provided appropriate gangster muscle to the cast as Charlie ‘The Duck’ Clench, and Anson Kearney managed not only to play the lawyer, Harry Dangle, but also created the show’s deft choreography.
Special mention must go to Angus Webb Ware for his wonderful performance as the waiter Alfie, sent tumbling down the stairs time after time, and to Harry Coote, bandleader extraordinaire of The Craze, who pumped out tune after tune and kept the show buzzing.
The female roles were well-played by the talented girls from MGGS who kept the boys on their toes.
It goes without saying that Director Mark Brady conjured wonderful energy and focus from all the cast, with excellent pace and focus to all the scenes. Alison Brunton (Assistant Director) and Leah Kelly (Production) provided tireless behind- the-scenes support.
Although the Old Melburnians War Memorial Hall provides some challenges, in terms of sound and lighting, it is a testament to all involved that the show was so successful, and so damned funny!
Dr Martin Ball
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