One Man, Two Guvnors: recoups capitalization

The Broadway production of One Man, Two Guvnors recouped its $3.25 million capitalization, during the week ending 19 Aug 2012.

The comedy began previews on 6 Apr 2012 and opened on 18 Apr 2012. The production is playing a limited engagement at the Music Box Theatre through to 2 Sep 2012.

One Man, Two Guvnors opened to rave reviews: We like it a lot. (newyorktheatreguide); Ideal escapism for anxious times (NY Times); Talented, adorable & hilarious (NY Post); Expect to laugh helplessly (Newsroom Jersey); Looks set to slay Broadway (Hollywood Reporter).

The production earned its star James Corden a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, and was nominated for further six awards.

Richard Bean's slap-stick comedy, One Man, Two Guvnors, is a free adaptation of Carlo Goldoni's 18th century play, "The Servant of Two Masters," and tells the farsical tale of Francis Henshall (James Corden), who in order to make ends meet, finds himself moonlighting for two different guvnors.

One Man, Two Guvnors: Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small time East End hood, now in Brighton to collect £6000 from his fiancee's dad. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who's been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers. Holed up at the Cricketers' Arms, the permanently ravenous Francis spots the chance of an extra meal ticket and takes a second job with one Stanley Stubbers, who is hiding from the police and waiting to be re-united with Rachel. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two guvnors apart. Simple.

The complete cast features James Corden (Francis Henshall), Oliver Chris (Stanley Stubbers), Jemima Rooper (Rachel Crabbe), Tom Edden (Alfie), Martyn Ellis (Harry Dangle), Trevor Laird (Lloyd Boateng), Claire Lams (Pauline Clench), Fred Ridgeway (Charlie Clench), Daniel Rigby (Alan Dangle) and Suzie Toase (Dolly), all of whom are the original stars from the National Theatre's London production.

They are joined by Brian Gonzales, Eli James, Ben Livingston, Sarah Manton, Stephen Pilkington, David Ryan Smith and Natalie Smith.

The play opened at the NT's Lyttelton on 24 May 2011, following previews from 17 May, where it ended its sold out run on 19 Sep 2011. The show then went on a short Uk tour. The production is currently playing at London's West End Adelphi Theatre where it will open on 22 Nov 2011 for a limited 16-week engagement that was to have closed on 25 Feb 2012, but which is now playing an open run.

The show opened at the National Theatre to critical accalim: Fantastic entertainment and fabulously funny (londontheatreguide.com); An evening of riotous delight (Daily Telegraph); Bubbles over with humour. A surefire hit (Evening Standard); One of the funniest productions in the National's history (Guardian).

The show's star, James Corden, received almost universal accolade for his performance in the comedy, with which not only does he deal deftly with the show's farcical elements, but also successfully creates a direct relationship with the audience with asides and ad-libs, as he involves audience members in the mad antics happening on stage.

James Corden made his Broadway debut in the NT's production of Alan Bennett's 'The History Boys.' In Britain Corden has established himself as one of the country's leading comic actors, having co-created and starred in the BBC comic shows "Gavin & Stacey" and "Horne & Corden."

The creative team for One Man, Two Guvnors includes Mark Thompson (set & costumes), Cal McCrystal (Physical Comedy Director), Mark Henderson (lights) and Paul Arditti (sound).

One Man, Two Guvnors is produced on Broadway by Bob Boyett and the National Theatre of Great Britain.

Cast of 'One Man, Two Guvnors' (James Corden as 'Francis Henshall' - second from left)