One Man, Two Guvnors

Nantwich Players were back on stage with their production of ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’, directed by Maximilian Clay. Maximilian clearly understands comedy, and in particular farce, with lots of farcical moments throughout the play. The pace was very good throughout, as it should be in a comedy. The audience were hit with joke after joke. Characterisations were very good from the cast, with good relationships formed and developed between the characters. The set design was clever and worked well in the small space. With moveable flats stage left, this was moved to create the different locations. These flats had two doors, which were instrumental in the dinner service scene, which was staged brilliantly with quick entrances and exits, adding to the comedy tremendously. Other furniture was brought on to denote different locations. The cast performed the scene changes and were well-drilled in these. The scene changes were done quickly and effectively. The songs throughout, which helped cover the scene changes, were performed well by the small band, led by Stephen Clay. The songs were all original, apart from the last song, and were written by members of the cast, who performed these with the band. The songs were very much inspired by the time period of the play, which worked very well. They were a strong feature of the production. Costumes were very good. They were colourful, adding to the fun of the production.

Technical aspects were basic for the production. Lighting was a general wash throughout. There could have been different lighting states to differentiate interior and exterior locations. The effect of the fire at the end of Act One was done safely, with use of smoke and light. It didn’t have quite the impact it should have, but the audience certainly enjoyed it. The sound balance between the band and the microphones used for singing was very good.

David Rogerson clearly knows the role of Francis Henshall inside out, with this his second outing in the role following his NODA nominated performance with Kingsley Players last year. This was a strong performance from David, performing the comedy with ease. The physical comedy was well performed as well, with David throwing himself around the stage. David had the audience in the palm of his hands, and worked well with them throughout. The patter song, ‘Brighton Belle’, was performed very well by David and other members of the cast.

Marianne Hill took on the role of Dolly. This was a good performance from Marianne who had a good understanding of the genre and character. Her knowing looks to the audience were nicely placed, adding to the comedy. She worked well with David, creating a good relationship.

Lillie Pragnell played Rachel Crabbe, who for the majority of the play is disguised as her dead brother, Roscoe. There was a clear definition between Lillie’s Rachel and Roscoe, using her voice and physicality to portray this. Although small in stature, Lillie commanded the stage very well.

Adam Goode provided excellent support as Stanley Stubbers. This was a fantastic comic performance that stood out in the production. The facial expressions and knowing looks to the audience were very funny, and Adam delivered the jokes with great comic timing. Well done!

Tom Campbell portrayed the aspiring actor, Alan Dangle. This was a suitably over-the-top performance from Tom. It was pleasing to see Tom display his musical talent during the production, performing songs throughout the production.

Dawn Hazelwood played Pauline Clench. Dawn could have been more ditzy to further the comedy and to provide more of a contrast between her and Alan. There was a good relationship built with Tom’s Alan, and Dawn contributed to the successful musical pieces throughout.

Steve Bird played Charlie ‘The Duck’ Clench. There seemed to be an initial tentativeness in Steve’s performance, but he soon settled into role, offering a good supporting performance. Where Steve shone, was in the musical numbers – many of which he had written, as well as performing them.

Clare Hoy took on the role of Harri Dangle. Written as a male character, this production switched the character’s gender to female. Clare offered good support in this role, with great line delivery and funny facial expressions.

Glenn Pollard played Lloyd Boateng. This was a good performance from Lloyd, showing a sincere friendship to Lillie’s Rachel. A little bit more work on diction, especially when performing with an accent, would have helped Glenn’s overall vocal clarity.

Patrick Gover added to the physical comedy of the production immensely with his performance of Alife, the octogenarian waiter. This was a highly physical role that Patrick nailed. The timing was spot on from Patrick.

The ensemble of performers (Moira Hignett, Anna Langston, Nigel Vernon and Andrew Gregory) added to the scenes, as well as assisting in the scene changes. They were all fully involved in the telling of the story. Having them as party guests as the audience were entering the auditorium, and interacting with them, gave the audience a flavour of what to expect during the production. This was nicely done.

Overall, this was a good production. There were some strong comedy performances, the live music added greatly to the production, and the set was inventive.

A big thank you to everyone at Nantwich Players for their kind invite and hospitality. All the best for your next production, ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’.

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