Comedic Chaos Comes to LWC

When One Man, Two Guvnors opened at London’s National Theatre in 2011, it was described as “A triumph of visual and verbal comedy.” (The Guardian)

 

This June, the production, by Richard Bean, will be brought to life again by a cast and crew of 27 LWC students in Gavin Hall.

 

“The play is just so much fun!,” explains the show’s co-director and Teacher of Drama, Matt McGrath. “The characters are whacky, but loveable and who doesn’t enjoy a bit of slapstick comedy?”

 

The play is an English adaptation of The Servant of Two Masters by the Italian playwright, Carlo Goldoni. Rather than being set in 18th-century Italy though, the play transports us to 1960s Brighton.

 

There, we meet out-of-work musician, Francis who becomes employed by two different men. Francis is keen that the two never meet and an extravagant plot develops – further complicated by the fact that one of the men is not a man at all and the other is actually responsible for the death of his employment rival.

 

Keeping up? Probably not and that, it seems, is part of the appeal.

 

“Bringing a comedy to the stage is always a daunting task for all involved, as it’s quite a challenge to get right,” admits Mr McGrath. “We’ve been so impressed with how the students have approached the play and taken this challenge in their stride.”

 

One of the main characters, Francis, is played by Lower Sixth Former, Tilly. Buoyed by her performance as Tallulah in LWC’s sellout run of Bugsy Malone at Basingstoke’s Haymarket in January, she was keen to tread the boards again.

 

“I absolutely loved every minute of it,” she reveals. “It was the first time I’d performed at school and I was so nervous. I was backstage questioning if I could even go on! But as soon as we did the first number, I knew that this was something that I wanted to keep doing.”

 

“The buzz and excitement from the whole cast and crew during show week is something I simply can’t match anywhere else. The feeling of coming off-stage after the first show and congratulating everyone is personally my favourite, because you know the nerves have passed and you get to do the same thing all over again the next night.”

— Tilly, Lower Sixth Form

 

Tilly isn’t the only cast member to have cut their teeth in this year’s musical. 3^rd Former, Faith also had a role in Bugsy, but admits that this production is a complete contrast. “One of the highlights for me is working with slapstick comedy,” she explains. “In particular, I love the restaurant scene. It’s so fast-paced and I find it really fun to perform.” Faith plays the role of Rachel, who in turn is playing the role of her twin brother, Roscoe (who is actually dead). “What I like about playing Rachel is the fact that I’m essentially playing two characters,” she continues. “I love the challenge of making them both different and the same.”

 

Taking on the challenge of a complicated comedy is a tall order for any performer, let alone someone as young as 13 or 14, but the show’s co-director believes that the cast have it all in hand. “We’ve really enjoyed seeing the students grow in confidence,” Matt McGrath admits. “Seeing them take on a challenge, which in many cases, is quite far from their comfort zone is what I most love about this project. They bring such passion, fun and talent to the stage. They genuinely have us laughing out loud in every rehearsal.”

 

4^th Former, Emilia has the added challenge of developing an accent in order to play her character of Dolly (a feminist bookkeeper to a local mobster).

 

“Dolly has a bold persona,” Emilia explains, “and a northern accent which has been really fun but a bit challenging to play. I’m definitely looking forward to the performances!”

 

One Man, Two Guvnors will run for two nights on Wednesday, 11^th and Thursday, 12^th of June, in LWC’s Gavin Hall; a setting transformed by LWC Performing Arts Technician, Mike Sene and his team of talented students who make up the Tech Crew.

 

“As always, there’s a moment when we, as directors, have no more say in what’s happening on stage,” admits Matt McGrath. “We let go of the wheel as it were and let the students do what they do best, both on stage and off. It’s always an exciting moment and this is what we’re looking forward to the most.”

   

Tilly aka Francis, agrees that show week has been at the forefront of her mind throughout the rehearsal process. “I’ll admit that rehearsals were tricky to begin with. Whether I’m running back and forth across stage, stuffing my face with food or flirting and fighting other characters,” she reveals. “But with the support of Mr McGrath and Mr Macvean, rehearsals have been the highlight of my week. The buzz and excitement from the whole cast and crew during show week is something I simply can’t match anywhere else. The feeling of coming off-stage after the first show and congratulating everyone is personally my favourite, because you know the nerves have passed and you get to do the same thing all over again the next night.”

 

Along with the 27 students who make up the cast and crew and two directors, there will also be a live band transforming this little corner of Hampshire into sixties Brighton. This combination of students and staff coming together from across the College is something which works well for all.

 

“It’s been amazing to see all of the younger actors getting involved and become more comfortable around everyone,” admits Lower Sixth Former, Martha, who plays Stanley. “I’m looking forward to opening week and hopefully inspiring the younger years to join the musical and future plays.”

 

One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean, features songs by Grant Olding. This production is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd, on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.

 

Tickets for performances at 7pm on Wednesday, 11^th and Thursday, 12^th June in Gavin Hall are available here.