One Man Two Guvnors projected in movie theatres

One Man Two Guvnors shown in movie theatres

Before one man two guvnors comes to Broadway in April it was shown at select movie screens across America courtesy of  NCM Fathom Event on 20th October 2011. The ticket prices were more than your average movie but much cheaper than travelling to London to see it live! This is what one person who attended the showing thought about it.

What was one man two guvnors like on a giant screen?

The experience included the sound of the live audience in London conversing as they waited for the production to begin.  Over this we saw a slide show version of a program introducing us to the cast and artistic staff and then, right on time, one man two guvnors began with a small band performing before the act curtain.  They had an early 1960s look and sound and gave a mini-concert of serveral songs.  Three songs in, it was not clear what the point of this concert was, but later it was revealed that the main character, Francis (played with brilliant comic aplomb by James Corden) was fired from his skiffle band (quite a thin connection).

This band intrudes between scenes to cover set changes and gives another mini-concert to lead in the second act of one man two guvnors after an intermission, which only served to disturb the pace of an otherwise high energy and fast paced show. After the mini-concert and a first scene of exposition that introduced the players, the show really got going as Francis took on the job of serving two bosses at the same time.  Both are hiding out in the pub and hotel known as the Cricketers’ Arms–popping in and out of doors and just missing each other.

One man two guvnors star turn from James Corden

The comedy arises from Francis having to constantly be in two places at once, while keeping his two bosses apart the whole time.  The story is nonsense, but the situation and the colorful band of characters coming and going provided compounding laughs.  James Corden’s performance is comic gold with amazing feats of physical comedy of the kind rarely seen since the reign of the silent screen comedians.  His improvisation with the audience in London was a delight and his inteaction with his fellow peformers was open enough to receive the odd mishap or blunder and turn it into a fresh comic bit.  Even as a recorded, projected experience, one had the feeling of seeing something that could only happen once.

This is the kind of National Theatre hit that might just make it across the pond to Broadway, but the lucky few who attended this Fathom Event showing got the best seats in the house early–as well as a back stage pass during intermission.

Review of one man two guvnors on screen by Michael D Jackson in Examiner.com

One man two guvnors tickets