One Man, Two Guvnors

Congleton Players welcomed Louise Colohan back to direct their production of ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’, which Louise directed for the group six years ago. It was clear that Louise understood the intricacies of the play and the challenges that the play poses. The pace of the production was great, and it moved along well, which is especially important in a farce. The audience didn’t have time to breathe before being hit by the next comic moment, whether it was a well-timed joke, a facial reaction, or a piece of physical comedy. The set was well designed and constructed, and helped transport the audience to the various locations of the play. The three swing doors helped with the fast-paced entrances and exits that are fundamental to farces. The use of the catwalk created an immersive experience for the audience, with character entering and exiting through the auditorium. The cast did many of the set changes, which helped keep the pace of the production. These scene changes became a performance in themselves with the ensemble of characters or the go-go dancers masking the scene changes. This was an inspired choice from Louise, ensuring that the audience didn’t lose interest. The live band, situated stage right, was great and added tremendously to the production from the very start. They also became involved with the action of the play, when Francis was searching for a sandwich. The costumes and wigs were a strong element of the production, instantly transporting the audience to the swinging sixties. Costumes were also used to add to the comedy of the production as well.

The technical aspects were well thought through in this production. The lighting was good and unobtrusive. The sound was good as well, with a good balance between the band and the rest of the cast. The end of the first act with the fire was done well and in a safe way, causing the desired audience reaction.

Taking on the role of Francis Henshall was Simeon Green. Having played this role the last time Congleton Players produced this play, Simeon showed a thorough understanding of the character. His physical humour was good, and his asides to the audience were spot on. Simeon had a great stage presence, and interacted well with the rest of the cast and the audience.

Sam Sherliker-Hewitt impressed as Rachel Crabbe, who spends the majority of the play disguised as her non-identical twin brother, Roscoe! Sam used her physicality and voice well to differentiate between both Roscoe and Rachel. Roscoe had a great swagger, which contrasted nicely to the lovesick Rachel.

Sam Hands did well as Stanley Stubbers. He was the quintessential public schoolboy and portrayed this through his physicality and voice. There were some very good comic moments, especially in the over-the-top declarations of love toward Rachel in the latter moments of the production.

Adrian Grace returned to the same role he played six years ago, Charlie “The Duck” Clench. Adrian was well cast in this role, adding greatly to the comedy. The accent was consistent throughout. His reactions to the explanation of identical and non-identical twins were well-played.

Sophie Williams delivered a spot on performance as Pauline Clench. The accent was good, and she played the ditzy moments of the character well. The over-the-top reactions from Sophie added to the comedy. This was a wonderfully funny performance from Sophie.

Michael Shneck played Harry Dangle. Michael was suitably pompous as the Latin spewing lawyer. He reacted well to what was happening on stage, and created a good, comic character.

Tom Fairhurst played Alan Dangle, the aspiring actor. He had the tropes of a classically trained actor, which added to the comedy of the character. Tom worked well with the rest of the cast, and created a good partnership with Sophie.

Sid Smith did well as Lloyd Boateng. His Welsh accent was consistent throughout and his line delivery was very good, especially the delivery of ‘Parkhurst’ to the audience with deadpan expression.

Sarah Francis put in a very good performance as Dolly. Sarah had a fantastic presence on stage, which was especially highlighted in the second act when she effortlessly pronounced Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, following Francis asking the audience for first date ideas. This brought the house down and was a brilliant comic performance from Sarah.

Sam Salmon fully transformed as the octogenarian waiter, Alfie. The physical comedy from Sam was spot on, and it was clear to see how much he was enjoying the role. Christian Causer worked well with Sam as Gareth, adding to the comedy of the scene.

The addition of the go-go dancers and ensemble cast worked tremendously well in this production, adding a performance within a performance. These performers worked well together and assisted with the scene changes, which worked extremely well, as the audience had something to look at. A particular highlight was the antics of the three outrageously naughty grannies – well done Liza Edwards, Lorraine House and Lydia Causer!

Overall, this was a very good production. The comedy was strong throughout, the use of ensemble was good, and there were some strong performances from the cast.

A big thank you to everyone at Congleton Players for their kind invite and hospitality.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.