Bonkers Brits: The Audience Is Baffled at First by CVRep’s ‘One Man Two Guvnors’—but Is Soon Won Over by the Great Cast and Zany Energy

It is unrealistic to expect all Americans to understand British humor. Back in the day, when I was growing up in Canada, about half of the CBC Radio broadcasts were from Britain, so I was raised with a great appreciation for such famous English shows as Take It From Here.

That said, CVRep’s presentation of One Man Two Guvnors caught even me off guard. I don’t know if any theaters in our valley have ever previously tackled such a production. This show offers a wide variety of English accents; even for Britons, who have keener ears than ours for being able to place an English accent with regard to not only location but class, this show offers a real mixture.

It’s also one of the few shows that breaks the “fourth wall”—what theater people call it when an actor speaks directly to the audience, as an aside. It can be very funny.

One Man Two Guvnors was written by Richard Bean, who was born in East Hull in 1956. The show is set in 1963, a time when Britain led the way in fashion, theater, music and style—when mini-skirts and The Beatles were beginning to appear. This show is adapted from The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, written back in Italy in the 1700s. The play was first performed in England in 2011, and made its way to Broadway in 2012.

It’s considered a musical, although not in the way Americans think of such a production. The pre-show opens Deven Green and Ned Douglas performing three folk numbers on string instruments, accompanied by prerecorded music. They also return between all of the play’s scenes, and involve the audience in their music by getting them to sing along a little bit. There are also surprises along the way—for example, a trio of women in the second act who nearly steal the show with a cleverly choreographed and harmonized song, smoothly performed.

The plot, as it is, involves the chaos that unfolds when a musician, fired from a band, takes on two new employers—a criminal, and a rich person. So, how did the audience react? The crowd was stone-cold with shock to start, but eventually recovered enough to enjoy the show with appreciative laughter.

The pace is frenetic, with the actors putting forth an exhausting amount of energy. Although the actual timing was a bit uneven, director Howard Shangraw has to be complimented for taking on such a difficult show, and for inspiring his huge number of actors to produce this play’s amazing energy. The size of the cast alone is 13 (including Douglas and Green), and the cast members actually go out into the audience to use some attendees in the show, too!

It’s a good romp, with many types of characters crossing paths. The audience falls in love with Douglas Scott Sorenson, playing Alfie, an awkward, hard-of-hearing and unbalanced waiter of an older age—never specified—who unfailingly got laughs with his many pratfalls and staggering attempts at the dangerous stairs.

Also standing out is Dolly, smoothly played by Haley Kooyman, full of grace, style and supreme confidence. She plays her part with huge authority and grace.

Tom Flynn plays the role of Charlie Clench, a single parent who got dumped by his ex-wife, and who still is moved to tears by the memory of his lost spouse. He handles his character with ease—and turns out to be a great dancer, too.

His daughter, Pauline, is played by Hannah Sedlacek as a REALLY dumb blonde who lives in amazement of … well, everything. She is delightfully vacant but sweet and makes us adore her.

Jabriel Daniels Shelton is Lloyd, who is actually kind of sane with all the nonsense going on around him, providing a contrast to the plot.

Rob Kellogg plays Stanley Stubbers (don’t the Brits just love these names?), who handles a lot of lines with flawless diction while contributing to the crazed action that whirls around him through the play.

Joshua Rach plays Gareth with infinite grace and style. He moves beautifully and has an extraordinary sweeping style for his entrances.

The delightful Alan Dangle is played by Nick Apostolina. He has a terrific voice which I hope will get shown off in other productions soon. His role as a hopeful wannabe actor is charming.

The diminutive Claire Blackwelder plays Rachel … and also Roscoe, her twin brother. If that sounds weird, you have to see the show to understand. She acts with sensitivity and a lot of versatility.

Harry Dangle, played by Antony Ferguson (an actual Londoner!) is a calm lawyer who sort of knits all the loose ends together.

But the star of the show is Peter Fanone, playing Francis Henshall. I have never seen a harder-working actor, and his amazing energy never stops. He brings a full-speed physical vitality to his part; I can’t imagine how he even accomplishes playing two shows in the same day.

You just can’t go wrong with Jimmy Cuomo creating the set design. The very adaptable set plays many different parts, too, and it is always fascinating to watch the giant set transform before your eyes into a new place … and then back again.

Kudos to the whole crew: Lynda Shaeps, doing hair and makeup design; Ryan Marquart as the prop designer; Joshua Adams, taking care of the sound (which was a bit loud—maybe just from where I was sitting); Moira Wilke, in charge of lighting and technical design; and Hannah Chalman the creator of the costumes.

It’s a very long show—2 3/4 hours—so brace yourself. Though audience members might find it difficult to understand the play initially, they warm up to the zany fun of British theater. You should try it yourself!

One Man Two Guvnors will be performed at 7 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday; and 2 p.m., Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, through Sunday, Feb. 1, at the CVRep Playhouse, 68510 E. Palm Canyon Drive, in Cathedral City. Tickets are $85, or $95 for opening night, on Thursday, Jan. 15. For tickets or more information, call 760-296-2966, or visit www.cvrep.org.