ONE MAN, 2 GUVNORS – Reviewed by Stephen Radosh
Updated
CVRep’s current offering is Richard Bean’s “One Man, 2 Guvnors,” an adaptation of Carlo Goldoni’s “The Servant of Two Masters.” The play does not easily fit into any one category. I would consider it a play with music rather than a musical, even though it features eight songs. They are played before the show starts to set the mood and again after most scenes, but unlike in a traditional musical, these songs rarely reflect the plot or further character development.
The play itself can leave you laughing so hard you miss the next line, then suddenly wondering why a particular scene feels like it wandered in from a different play. It’s a strange collision of Music Hall, farce, slapstick, improv and even touches of melodrama. Structurally, it delivers moments of brilliance and then moments of awkwardness as it segues from one form to another. This is not to say that the show, under the direction of Howard Shangraw, fails to deliver a multitude of laughs. For once, I’ll skip the usual plot synopsis, since what plot there is serves mainly as a framework for various comedic moments. It succeeds in that, largely due to the strength of its cast and its talented lead, who does the yeoman’s work of keeping the show aloft.
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