THEATER REVIEW
“One Man, Two Guvnors”
Grade: B
8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. 2 p.m. Sundays. Also: 2 p.m July 19. Through July 27. $16-$40. Georgia Shakespeare, Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta. 404-504-1473, gashakespeare.org.
Bottom line: Farce, finely paced.
A portly shank of a man in an orange plaid get-up and argyle socks, Francis Henshall lives in seedy Brighton, England, in the swinging ’60s. He’s a gluttonous clown who plays dumb but knows all.
Clever theatergoers may notice that the deliciously duplicitous character at the center of British farceur Richard Bean's "One Man, Two Guvnors" bears an uncanny resemblance to Truffaldino, who eats from the hands of both his employers in Carlo Goldoni's 1743 commedia dell'arte classic, "Servant of Two Masters."
In the Georgia Shakespeare production of the Goldoni re-do, Francis is played by Aaron Muñoz, a wonderful actor whose last Atlanta turn was as the hot dog-snarfing Ignatius J. Reilly in Theatrical Outfit’s “A Confederacy of Dunces” (2010). While the rubber-jawed Muñoz made a fine Ignatius, his account of the madly cherubic Francis, who drags audience members into a game of improvisation and slapstick, is borderline genius.
In updating Goldoni to the time of the Fab Four, Bean introduces a rock band that strums and hums between scenes and at the top of the show. The young Atlanta hipsters at Georgia Shakespeare (Jacob Morrell and twins Jack and Mike Shaw) are called the Head, and they seem to get better as the raucous comedy lurches on.
And does it ever.
A tangled web of ribaldry and physical buffoonery that brings to mind Monty Python, Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off” and the comedies of Joe Orton (some of which Georgia Shakespeare has demonstrated an affinity with in the past), the play is a tale of gangsters, amateur thespians, mistaken identities and bungled love affairs.
Fired by his band, forever short of food and funds, Francis takes on double duty as the “minder” of two men of dubious character: Stanley Stubbers (Joe Knezevich) and Roscoe Crabbe (Ann Marie Gideon). Only “Roscoe” is really Rachel, Roscoe’s twin sister, who is posing as her dead brother, who has been murdered by Stubbers. Meanwhile, Francis falls for Dolly (Courtney Patterson), who works for Charlie Clench (a hilarious Allan Edwards), whose daughter Pauline (Molly Coyne) was engaged to Roscoe but has fallen for amateur actor Alan (Justin Walker).
Got all that? No worries. All shall be revealed, and forgiven, by the end.
But first there’s a lunatic scene in which a chef (Neal Ghant) sends out dish after dish. Francis is supposed to deliver the culinary creations to his two masters but sneakily scarfs them down instead. Thus ensues a cacophony of slamming doors, flying food, spewing whipped cream and spilled actors.
Chris Kayser plays head waiter Gareth, the elegantly comported straight man to Alfie (Richard Garner), a bumbling octogenarian server who talks like a stroke victim and has a new pacemaker. Every once in a while, Alfie’s device goes haywire, and the poor guy thrashes, tumbles down stairs, drops trays and so on. Garner, the company’s producing artistic director, is superb. (For me, the show really comes together with Alfie’s arrival.) He gives Muñoz a run for his money in the silly department.
Directed by Drew Fracher (who works frequently as a fight director), “One Man” has some extremely funny moments and a ’60s vibe that suits the company’s sensibilities. Christine Turbitt contributes fabulous period costumes. Kat Conley’s set features lots of sparkle and shimmer that connote the culture of the times; the scenery can be quickly switched around to put us in an elegant parlor or hotel banquet hall.
A lot of Goldoni and a little “Goldfinger,” “One Man, Two Guvnors” is a delightful diversion from straightforward Shakespeare and the hazy days of summer.
