One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean Based on the Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, with Songs by Grant Olding Background Pack
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One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, with songs by Grant Olding Background pack The National's production 2 Carlo Goldoni 3 Commedia dell'arte 4 One Man, Two Guvnors – a background 5 Lazzi – comic set pieces 7 Characters 9 Rehearsal overview 10 In production: from the Lyttelton to the Adelphi 13 In production: Theatre Royal Haymarket 14 Richard Bean interview 15 Grant Olding Interview 17 Further production detailsls: This background pack is Director Learning Workpack writer www.onemantwoguvnors.com published by and copyright Nicholas Hytner National Theatre Adam Penford The Royal National Theatre South Bank Board London SE1 9PX Editor Reg. No. 1247285 T 020 7452 3388 Ben Clare Registered Charity No. F 020 7452 3380 224223 E discover@ Views expressed in this nationaltheatre.org.uk Rehearsal and production workpack are not necessarily photographs those of the National Theatre Johan Persson National Theatre Learning Background Pack 1 The National’s production The production of One Man, Two Guvnors opened in the National’s Lyttelton Theatre on 24 May 2011, transferring to the Adelphi from 8 November 2011; and to the Theatre Royal Haymarket with a new cast from 2 March 2012. The production toured the UK in autumn 2011 and will tour again in autumn 2012. The original cast opened a Broadway production in May 2012. Original Cast (National Theatre and Adelphi) Current Cast (Theatre Royal Haymarket) Dolly SuzIE TOASE Dolly JODIE PRENGER Lloyd Boateng TREvOR LAIRD Lloyd Boateng DEREk ELROy Charlie “the Duck” Clench FRED Ridgeway Charlie ‘the Duck’ Clench GERARD HORAN Pauline Clench CLAIRE LAMS Pauline Clench HANNAH SPEARRITT Harry Dangle MartyN ELLIS Harry Dangle NIGEL BETTS Alan Dangle DANIEL RIGBy Alan Dangle DANIEL INGS Francis Henshall JAMES CORDEN Francis Henshall Owain ArthuR Rachel Crabbe JEMIMA ROOPER Rachel Crabbe GEMMA WHELAN Stanley Stubbers OLIvER CHRIS Stanley Stubbers BEN MANSFIELD Gareth DAvID BENSON Gareth DAvID BENSON Alfie TOM EDDEN Alfie Martin BARRASS Ensemble POLLy Conway Ensemble ROBIN BERRy JOLyON DIxON GILLIAN BuDD DEREk ELROy ANDREW DENNIS PAuL LANCASTER LAuRA matthews FERGuS MARCH RICHARD SHANkS GARETH MASON matthew WOODyatt CLARE THOMSON UK tour cast to be confirmed Director NICHOLAS HyTNER Physical Comedy Director CAL McCRystal Designer MARk THOMPSON Lighting Designer MARk HENDERSON Music & Songs GRANT OLDING Sound Designer PAuL ARDITTI Associate Director/Choreographer ADAM PENFORD Fight Director Kate Waters Resident Director LISA BLAIR Associate Designer Jonathan ALLEN Associate Lighting Designer TOM SNELL Company Voice Work Kate GODFREy Literal Translator FRANCESCA MANFRIN Casting Alastair COOMER The Craze GRANT OLDING (vocals, guitar, keys, harmonica) PHILIP JAMES (lead guitar, banjo, backing vocals) RICHARD COuGHLAN (double bass, electric bass, backing vocals) BENJAMIN BROOkER (percussion, drum kit, backing vocals) The Craze debut album is available from the NT Bookshop nationaltheatre.org.uk/bookshop National Theatre Learning Background Pack 2 Carlo Goldoni Carlo Goldoni was born in 1707 into a series of plays, experimenting with form middle-class family in Venice. As a child, and honing his skills. It was whilst he was he was fascinated by theatre, playing with installed with this company that Goldoni puppets and writing his first play at the age achieved his now infamous challenge of of twelve. His father attempted to distract writing sixteen comedies in two seasons; him from a dishonourable career in the a play a week. Goldoni’s relationship with theatre by sending him away to study at Medebac deteriorated over rows about various schools, but each time Goldoni royalties, and in 1753 he defected to the either ran away or got expelled. During one Vendramin family at the rival Teatro San of these incidents, he joined a company Luca, where he stayed until 1762. of touring actors and travelled back to Venice, the adventures he experienced on These years were dogged by a rivalry with this journey solidified his love of theatrical fellow playwright, Carlo Gozzi [1720-1806], life. Eventually, in 1731, he graduated which played out publicly in the press from law school and started practising and divided Venetian theatre audiences. in Padua. The lure of the theatre was too Gozzi felt Goldoni was destroying the strong however, and the following year he traditions of Commedia dell’arte and was back in Venice, writing. Goldini’s path making the form banal; Goldoni, in turn, to stardom was not smooth; his first play, believed Gozzi’s work to be too fantastical a tragedy called Amalasunta [1733], was and therefore artificial. By 1762, Goldoni a flop. He threw the manuscript in the fire, was tired of the dispute and accepted and wrote a tragicomedy, Belisario [1734], an invitation to direct Italian plays at the the success of which launched his career. French court of Louis XV [1710-1774]. After his contract ended, he stayed Over the next ten years, Goldoni took at court to teach Italian to the royal up a succession of resident dramatist family, and was subsequently granted a roles at various large theatres and opera pension for life. Unfortunately, the French houses, writing opera librettos and tragic Revolution [1789-1799], interrupted these works, before discovering comedy was payments and Goldoni lived out the rest of his ideal form. His first major comedy, his life in poverty. He died in 1793, having L’uomo di mondo (The Man of the World), never returned to Venice. premiered in 1738 and he followed it with a succession of hits, including, in 1746, Il Goldoni lived a colourful life, he was often Servitore di Due Padroni (The Servant of involved in disputes over money and Two Masters). The play was written for a women, and many of his experiences famous harlequin called Antonio Sacchi, ended up in his plays. His memoirs, (whose stage name, Truffaldino, is the published in 1787, are full of amusing servant’s name in the play) and was based anecdotes, although many have on an existing plot. In 1748, Goldoni joined questioned the accuracy of some of these Girolamo Medebac’s company, who were adventures, suspecting he preferred a resident at the Sant’Angelo theatre in good story over the truth. He wrote 200 Venice. Medebac was a famous theatrical plays, including 150 comedies, redefining manager who had assembled a cast of Italian theatre. eminent actors, and Goldoni wrote a National Theatre Learning Background Pack 3 Commedia dell'arte Commedia dell’arte is shortened from performers in Covent Garden). From ‘commedia dell’arte all’improviso’, jongleurs, commedia inherited lazzi, meaning ‘comedy through the art/craft comic verbal or physical set pieces, of improvisation’, but also translates which they studied and honed, as ‘comedy of the guild’; Europe’s incorporating them into the action first professional theatre. Previously, when applicable. theatre had been provided by amateur academics, writing and performing Goldoni’s earliest writings for the their own plays (known as ‘commedia theatre consisted of sections of erudite’; ‘learned comedy’). Commedia dialogue for the players to improvise originated in Italy in the mid-16th century with, but he soon recognised that with companies consisting of ten or so in order to become a playwright like touring players, often playing improvised the European writers he admired outdoor venues. The more prestigious such as Molière [1622-1673], then he companies had patrons amongst the needed total control over the whole nobility and the rest relied on carnival play. He began writing full scripts and organisers hiring their services, or banned masks which he felt were an audiences tipping them. The actors unnecessary barrier between performer specialised in playing particular stock and audience, his changes met characters and wore masks depicting with resistance from the actors who these personalities. Unlike British theatre, resented handing control of their art where Shakespeare’s heroines were over to a new party. Commedia as a being played by young male actors, form was 200 years old however, and commedia used actresses; attempts becoming stale; Goldoni determined by the church to ban actresses for their to explore real Italian life onstage, corruptive influences never succeeded. and the audiences responded. His plays often had a satirical edge, There were no written scripts in commenting on contemporary issues commedia; companies improvised and relationships, and he fairly their shows along predetermined plot portrayed people from different scenarios, knowing the rough structure classes, condemning the immoral of the narrative. Each actor knew whether they were poor or rich. where their character’s story began and concluded, and therefore the various plot-points they needed to hit in order to complete their character’s journey. They memorised speeches, songs, poems and sections of dialogue so they could recall them on stage as necessary. Commedia also had roots in the art of touring jongleurs, wandering entertainers, who performed a mix of acrobatics, songs and audience interaction (not dissimilar from the likes of contemporary street National Theatre Learning Background Pack 4 One Man, Two Guvnors – a background One Man, Two Guvnors is an the characters in the criminal underworld adaptation of The Servant of Two of the East End (the Kray twins were at Masters. Richard Bean, the playwright, the height of their fame in the 1960s) has altered the names of characters, and therefore explain why the characters relocated the geographical setting, carry weapons (in 1740s, Italy, most men and changed various plotting points, would carry swords) which is essential to but the play is still recognisably based the plot. upon Goldoni’s original. Bean and the director, Nicholas Hytner, set out Improvisation to find a contemporary equivalent Commedia has its origins in for Goldoni’s play. This involved two improvisation and this has been retained objectives: firstly, to locate an updated in One Man Two Guvnors when the equivalent of 1740s Florence, which central character, Francis, interacts became 1960s Brighton [see Richard with the audience.