One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide
About This Guide ...... 1 Background Information ...... 2 Teaching Information ...... 4 Production Notes Contextual Information ...... 6 Key Design Elements ...... 6 Performance Style ...... 12 Key Moments ...... 13 Plot Synopsis ...... 14 Find Out More ...... 18
1 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide About
This learning guide supports the National Theatre’s production of One Man, Two Guvnors, directed by Nicholas Hytner, which opened on 24th May 2011 at the National’s Lyttelton Theatre in London.
Our packs are designed to support viewing the recording on the National Theatre Collection. This pack provides links to the UK school curriculum and other productions in the Collection. It also has a plot synopsis with timecodes to allow you to jump to specific sections of the play.
Here you’ll also find all the information you need to enable you to study the production and write about it in detail. This includes notes about all of the key elements from performance style to design. You’ll also find pointers for further research.
1 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Background Information Recording Date – 15th September, 2011 Location – Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre Age Recommendation – 12+
Cast
Dolly...... Suzie Toase Lloyd Boateng ...... Trevor Laird Charlie "the Duck" Clench ...... Fred Ridgeway Pauline Clench ...... Claire Lams Harry Dangle ...... Daniel Rigby Francis Henshall ...... James Corden Rachel Crabbe ...... Jemima Rooper Stanley Stubbers ...... Oliver Chris Gareth ...... David Benson Alfie ...... Tom Edden Ensemble ...... Polly Conway Ensemble ...... Derek Elroy Ensemble ...... Paul Lancaster Ensemble ...... Fergus March Ensemble ...... Gareth Mason Ensemble ...... Clare Thomson
'The Craze'
Guitar...... Grant Olding Guitar ...... Philip James Drums ...... Benjamin Brooker Ensemble ...... Jolyon Dixon
2 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Background Information Recording Date – 15th September, 2011 Location – Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre Age Recommendation – 12+
Creative Team
Director ...... Nicholas Hytner Writer ...... Richard Bean (after Carlo Goldoni) Associate Director ...... Cal McCrystal Designer ...... Mark Thompson Music ...... Grant Olding Fight Director ...... Kate Waters Choreographer / Staff Director ...... Adam Penford Sound Designer ...... Paul Arditti Lighting Designer ...... Mark Henderson
3 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Teaching Information
This production is particularly suitable for:
• Drama and theatre students studying Goldoni’s A Servant of Two Masters for A Level. • Anyone studying Commedia dell’arte, physical comedy and slapstick. • Anyone interested in re-imagined contemporary productions of classic plays. • Drama and theatre students studying Nicholas Hytner as a contemporary practitioner
In particular you might like to explore:
• Richard Bean’s adaptation of Goldoni’s original A Servant of Two Masters and whether moving the action of the play to 1960s Brighton makes it more relevant and more amusing for a contemporary audience. • How the design of the production contributes to the storytelling and physical comedy. • How the principles of commedia dell’arte are used in the production. • How the music and sound design help to create the world of the play. There are a number of other productions in the National Theatre Collection that relate to this one, which you and your students may wish to explore alongside it.
Other comedies
Production Date Playwright Director London Assurance 2010 Dion Boucicault Nicholas Hytner
She Stoops to Conquer 2012 Oliver Goldsmith Jamie Lloyd
Twelfth Night 2017 William Shakespeare Simon Godwin
4 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Teaching Information
Other adaptations of classic plays in the NT Collection
Production Date Adaptor/Playwright Director Yerma 2017 Simon Stone after Nicholas Hytner Federico García Lorca
Other productions featuring members of the same creative team
Productions Artist London Assurance Richard Bean - Adaptor
Julius Caesar Paul Arditti - Sound Designer
Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Othello Nicholas Hytner - Director London Assurance
London Assurance, Mark Thompson - Designer She Stoops to Conquer Coriolanus, Antigone Mark Henderson - Lighting Designer Julius Caesar, wonder.land, Paul Arditti - Sound Designer A Streetcar Named Desire
Frankenstein, Hamlet, Othello, Kate Waters - Fight Director Deep Blue Sea, Dara, Small Island
5 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Production Notes
The following notes have been compiled to help guide you through the significant design and performance aspects as you watch the production, or to remind you of them after you have watched it. You may also want to make your own notes and form your own opinions on the effectiveness of these aspects as you explore the production.
Contextual Information
• Richard Bean has updated the Goldoni Servant of Two Masters to 1960s Brighton.
• The adaptation relies on a variety of Commedia dell'Arte influences.
• Because the play is set in the 1960s, and the play was written in 2011, there is dramatic irony, in places for example when one character begins to imagine a female prime minister (the first female prime minister being Margaret Thatcher who was a Conservative and who was elected in 1979).
Key Design Elements: Set
• Due to the slapstick nature of the action, there is often a clear space downstage in which that takes place.
• Proscenium arch stage, with orange velvet curtains which are closed when the skiffle band/other performers give musical performances: in the style of music/ variety shows. The arch is formed of blue tiles and there are doors both stage left and stage right, which remain throughout to aid quick paced and slapstick/timed entrances and exits in the various different locations.
• Scene changes for furniture are done by stagehands in brown coats and flat caps. The scenery consists of painted flats.
• Living room: for Pauline and Alan’s engagement celebration. Patterned wallpaper, orange armchairs with anti-macassars on the back, another period detail. There is a large portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the wall (her coronation portrait). Upstage wall has long windows, with a painted view of Brighton pier. Dining table, covered with a white tablecloth, with food and champagne bottles. Book shelves stage right, with ornaments and lamp. Patterned curtains. Standard lamp.
6 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Production Notes
• Outside The Cricketers Arms. Wooden bench stage left, painted scenery flats further upstage of terraced housing. Backdrop shows Brighton Pier.
• The hotel dining room has a repeated cricket pattern on the wallpaper (The Cricketers Arms is the name of the pub. There is a staircase in the upstage part of the set (descending). A different circular pattern is on the stairwell wallpaper. Table with covered table centre stage.
• Brighton sea front: upstage a white railing (complete with lifesaving ring and seagull) spans the stage with the painted backdrop of the sea and coastline.
7 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Production Notes
Key Design Elements: Costume
The play is set in the 1960s and so the fabric and cut of the costumes reflect this time period. All of the characters appear to take a lot of pride in their appearance, partly to be attractive to the opposite sex (i.e. Dolly) or to demonstrate status within the group (Harry, Charlie). Wealth is shown through subtler colour (Stanley) and Frances’s foolish, comedic nature is shown through the way in which his suit is not entirely fitted and is slightly too short in the leg.
• Frances Henshall: Three-piece suit, with the trousers slightly too short. The suit has wide checks on it. White shirt. Look closely and you will even see harlequin shapes on his tie and his socks, a reference to Arlecchino, the originator of the harlequin.
• Charlie Clench (Charlie the Duck): dark suit, white shirt and matching pocket triangle, diamond-patterned tie in burgundy and grey. Black lace up shoes.
• Lloyd Boateng: beige double-breasted suit, hat, beige tie and white shirt.
• Stanley Stubbers: beige trench coat, blue sports jacket, beige slacks, red and white striped tie. Blue shirt with a white collar. Later in the play Stanley’s shirts have iron-shaped burn marks on the back of it to show Frances’s ineptitude.
• Dolly: Cream knitted short sleeve top with a green cardigan (diamond pattern on the front) around her shoulders. Heeled court shoes. Cream and brown checked pencil skirt. Chunky necklace.
• Harry Dangle: Black pin striped three-piece suit, red bow tie, paisley pocket square, white shirt, watch on a chain.
• Rachel Crabbe: (pretending to be her dead twin Roscoe). Man’s black shiny suit, white shirt, skinny purple-blue tie. Trilby hat. White pocket square. When her true identity is revealed she wears a lilac tea dress and purple cardigan over her shoulders.
• Alan Dangle: black polo neck jumper, black leather jacket, black trousers.
• Pauline Clench: red and white floral tea dress and cream low-heeled court shoes.
8 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Production Notes
• The Craze: white shirts, brown suits in shiny material, skinny black ties. One singer has horn rimmed glasses.
• Two waiters at The Cricketers Arms – white coats, bow ties, burgundy waistcoat, black trousers.
• Trio of women singers: elbow length gloves, cream brocade dresses with scalloped hem, two bows at the waist, wide scoop neck and short sleeves, cream low heeled shoes with cream earrings as accessories.
9 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Production Notes
Key Design Elements: Lighting
• Wide spotlight on skiffle band performers and any variety acts.
• Warm wash in the Clench living room.
• In the external scenes, a rich blue light upstage suggests later time in the day, enhancing the colours on the painted backdrop.
• Downstage lighting tends to be a broad wash.
• Cold blue lighting when Stanley goes over the railing on the seafront.
• At the end of the play, lights flash around the proscenium arch like you might see on a pier.
• The lighting plot is kept fairly simple – crossfades are sometimes used, but scene changes are usually completed behind the curtain so blackouts are unnecessary.
Key Design Elements: Sound
• To reflect the period and style, there is a live skiffle band called The Craze (a pun on The Krays, notorious twins who were involved in criminal activity in the 1950s and 1960s).
10 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Production Notes
• Instruments include guitar, electric guitar, washboard, double bass.
• Note the 1960s style microphones.
• Songs also aid the scene changes, which can occur behind the curtain that is dropped behind the musical acts.
• Individual acts by actors are also included – singing a song, playing an instrument etc. to reflect the musical hall/variety style performance.
• Recorded sound of howling wind during the scene with Stanley on the sea front.
• Note the ensemble song which provides an uplifting end to the play.
Key Design Elements: Wigs, Hair and Make-up
The 1960s had a distinctive look in terms of hair and make up, which is reflected in the production.
• Pauline has backcombed hair and a hair band. She has heavy winged eyeliner, red lipstick and shimmering eyeshadow.
• Alan’s hair is longer (collar length) to communicate his wish to be different from the older, more conservative men.
• Dolly wears a distinct beehive and chignon hairstyle, has winged eyeliner and lipstick.
• Frances’s hair is side parted and slicked down.
11 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Production Notes
• The trio of women singers (actresses playing Dolly, Pauline and Rachel) all wear platinum blonde beehive wigs and winged eyeliner with red lipstick.
• When Rachel Crabbe is disguised as her twin brother, she wears false sideburns.
• The actor playing Harry wears a white wig and matching bushy eyebrows.
Performance Style
• Alan’s body language is often exaggerated, his character wants to be an actor and so he exaggerates movement (like attitudes in melodrama) and makes large physical gestures.
• Cockney accents for a number of characters, Harry Dangle speaks with Received Pronunciation, which is even more exaggerated when he utters Latin phrases. Sidney Stubbers talks in what the audience would consider upper class and has the verbal mannerism of ‘yup, yup, yup’ which makes him sound even more upper class.
• Direct address – a number of characters (including Dolly and Alan) talk straight to the audience. Frances has a number of monologues that he delivers to the audience, as well as the more ad libbed aspect of audience participation.
• The audience participation is reminiscent of comedy acts in an end of the pier show but is also rooted in the Commedia dell ‘Arte tradition, which was heavily improvised.
• Frances does a lot of stage business with food, including throwing food into the air and catching it in his mouth. This also has links with the Commedia tradition – the actor who originated Truffaldino role in Goldoni’s play created a lazzi based on bread.
• Alfie is a particularly slapstick character, highly physical. Wide eyes, lopsided gait and clumsy.
• Frances is also highly physical in performance style, interacting with pieces of set to create comedy, again much like his Commedia dell ‘Arte counterpart.
12 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Production Notes
Key Moments
You might like to consider these key moments in particular when you are studying the production.
• Alfie the waiter and audience participation. (1hr 4 mins – 1hr 24 mins 30 secs)
• Frances’s monologue and the trunk scene. (21 mins 25 secs – 33 mins 30 secs (audience members sit down in auditorium))
• Dolly’s monologue. (1hr 37 mins 40 secs – 1hr 38 mins 25 secs)
• Live band, The Craze sing ‘The London To Brighton Line’ (00:00 - 2 mins 6 secs)
• Frances enters for the first time. (8 mins 30 secs – 11mins 55 secs)
• Frances fights with himself and the bins. (35 - 36 mins)
• Rachel talks to Frances and Charlie, highly alliterative dialogue. (2hrs - 2hrs, 2 mins 30 secs)
• Stanley and Rachel on the seafront. (2hrs 5 mins – 2hrs 10 mins)
13 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes
One Man, Two Guvnors is based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni. While the plot is largely the same, this version renames the characters and moves the location from Venice, Italy to Brighton, England. Goldoni’s characters were based on commedia dell’arte stock characters, while Richard Bean certainly took influence, his are more naturalistic characters.
Pre-show: A skiffle band “The Craze” sing Brighton Line.
Act One, Scene One (0:02:20): In Charlie Clench’s house in Brighton, Charlie, Alan Dangle, Pauline Clench, Harry Dangle, Charlie’s bookkeeper Dolly and Charlie’s old friend Lloyd Boateng are celebrating the engagement of Pauline and Alan.
(0:08:26) Francis Henshaw, the minder for revered London gangster Roscoe Crabbe arrives to claim money owed by Charlie. He and Dolly openly flirt, with Francis offering to take her away to Majorca for a holiday. Roscoe was originally engaged to Pauline and has returned to claim her back. The guests are incredulous, as they thought Roscoe Crabbe was recently murdered by his twin sister’s boyfriend.
14 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes
(0:12:43) Roscoe enters, demanding to have Pauline back now he has returned, but both Pauline and Alan refute his claim. Charlie agrees to pay his debts. Once alone, Roscoe reveals to Lloyd that she is actually Rachel, Roscoe’s sister. It is true that Roscoe’s dead, and her and her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers are planning to elope to Australia together.
Act One, Scene Two (0:21:27): In a Brighton street, Francis tells the story of how he was recruited by Roscoe/Rachel. It’s easy enough work, he says, but he’s permanently hungry. Stanley Stubbers enters, who is keeping a low profile following the murder of Roscoe. He offers to employ Francis as his minder and deliver letters for him while he keeps a low profile at the Cricketers Arms Inn. Despite already being employed, the prospect of having more money for food is too great. Francis’ other boss, Rachel, enters and gives him more jobs to do including another letter to deliver, which immediately begins confusing Francis.
(0:36:00) Alan enters, demanding to see Roscoe and vowing to kill him. Hearing this, Stanley becomes terrified Roscoe is still alive and hunting him.
(0:41:18) Francis re-enters with letters for both of his employers. Confused and hungry, he inadvertently eats Stanley’s letter so gives Stanley one of Rachel’s. Through this, Stanley discovers Rachel is in Brighton.
Act One, Scene Three (0:53:13): Back in Charlie’s house, Charlie is trying to convince his daughter to marry Roscoe with the financial benefits it would involve, but Pauline insists she wants to marry Alan ‘for love’.
(0:54:54) Rachel (as Roscoe) arrives to follow up on her money. Alone with Pauline, she reveals her true identity, telling Rachel to go along with the planned wedding to give her and Stanley time to elope, leaving her free to marry Alan.
Act One, Scene Four (1:01:32): Inside the Cricketers Arms, Francis’ anxiety - and hunger - is reaching boiling point.
15 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes
With the help of the old, decrepit waiter Alfie and unfortunate members of the audience, he struggles to provide lunch for both bosses while keeping them separate from each other and satisfying his insatiable hunger.
Interval
Act Two, Scene One (1:30:19): In the street Harry tries to convince Charlie to call off the marriage between Roscoe and Pauline but he refuses. Alan continues to vow violent revenge if he cannot marry Pauline.
(1:34:07) Pauline enters and Alan turns on her, accusing her of adultery. Pauline leaves in a fury at the accusation.
Act Two, Scene Two (1:38:34): Dolly meets Francis in the street and gives him a letter for Roscoe. The two of them flirt, with Francis taking on the persona of the dashing Irish lover, Paddy, to improve his confidence. As Paddy, he arranges to take Dolly away to Margate for a holiday.
(1:47:54) “Roscoe” enters with Charlie, who still hasn’t given Roscoe the £6,000 he owes. Francis’ two employers nearly meet, with Francis managing to keep
16 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Plot Synopsis with Timecodes
them separate at the cost of a beating from both.
Act Two, Scene Three (1:54:47): Back inside the Cricketers Arms, Francis is doing ironing for Roscoe. He discovers a picture of Stanley in Roscoe’s things. Stanley enters and discovers Francis with the photograph. Francis concocts a lie involving the fictitious Paddy to explain why he has it which leads Stanley to conclude Rachel is dead. Devastated, he leaves.
(1:58:07) “Roscoe” enters asking to see his diary. Francis accidentally gives him Stanley’s diary. Francis uses the same fib to explain how he had the diary in his possession, leading Rachel to conclude Stanley is dead. In her grief she reveals her identity to Charlie and Francis.
Act Two, Scene Four (2:03:08): Charlie tells Harry that Pauline is welcome to marry Alan. Alan enters and Charlie tells him the truth about Rachel; Alan is delighted.
Act Two, Scene Five (2:04:24): On Brighton pier, Rachel and Stanley independently mourn the death of the other. Lloyd enters and reunites them. Rachel tells Lloyd to go and get Francis so she can reprimand him. Rachel and Stanley agree to marry and stay in England.
(2:09:47) Lloyd re-enters with Francis. Francis uses the lie of Paddy again to talk himself out of trouble, and convinces both Rachel and Stanley to give him £150 each to take Dolly to Majorca. The police turn up and they all exit in a hurry.
Act Two, Scene Six (2:14:24): Back in Charlie’s house, Charlie and Alan try and convince Pauline to forgive Alan. Eventually, after much grovelling, she does.
(2:16:40) Lloyd, Rachel, Stanley and Francis enter. The two couples are reconciled, and Harry agrees to be Stanley’s lawyer to have him acquitted in the murder trial. As they discuss Dolly’s upcoming trip with Francis/Paddy, his deception unravels and he admits Paddy is made up and he was the employee of both guvnors. Stanley and Rachel forgive Francis and give him the time off to go to Majorca with Dolly.
The End
17 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Find out more
Read
The Rehearsal Insights Pack, featuring the rehearsal diary from this production, written by Staff Director Adam Penford.
Watch
The World of Commedia dell'Arte
Commedia dell'Arte: Character Shape
Commedia dell'Arte: A Historical Overview
Commedia dell'Arte: Language Commedia
dell'Arte: Emotion
Explore
More materials relating to the production including the costume bible, costume designs, prompt scripts, programme, stage management reports and more are held at the National Theatre Archive, which is free to visit. Find out more here: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/archive
18 One Man, Two Guvnors − Learning Guide Find out more
Suggestions for Further Activity
Read the opening scenes of Servant to Two Masters on which One Man, Two Guvnors is based. Compare it with the opening of One Man, Two Guvnors. How do the two playwrights create the necessary exposition of characters, situation and location for the audience? What similarities and differences can you find?
Research Richard Bean and his other plays for the National Theatre and/or directed by Nicholas Hytner. This includes Young Marx (2017) and Great Britain (2014).
Select a short extract from One Man, Two Guvnors to rehearse and present to an informal audience. Focus on comic timing, physicality and maintaining pace and audience attention. What challenges do you experience?
Suggestions for Further Research
Look at this website for Cromer Pier (including watching the trailer) – one of the few remaining traditional end of the pier shows in the UK. What influences of this performance style can you see in One Man, Two Guvnors?
We hope that you have enjoyed watching and studying One Man, Two Guvnors. Don't forget that there are many more fantastic productions to explore as part of the NT Collection. We hope that watching this recorded production has made you feel inspired to see and make live theatre. Why not find out what’s happening at your local theatre and how you can get involved?
This guide to support your viewing of the production was compiled by Teacher and Arts Education Consultant Susie Ferguson.
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