ONE MAN TWO GUVNORS is a slapstick delight with an amazing cast. Carlo Goldoni's mid-18th century
commedia SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS has been turned into a farce set in 1963 Brighton with a neo-1960s rock and roll score played, primarily, by a wonderful 4-piece band along with occasional musical moments from the cast. It's absolutely brilliant and outrageously naughty and funny. Goldoni's plot and most of his business are kept and, once rolling, it gets crazier and crazier.
The Act One closer is a masterpiece of complete insanity: a meal for the two masters served by the leading man and two waiters, one of them an 87 year-old on a pacemaker, and an assist from a lady in the audience, gets loonier and loonier with the old waiter throttled, falling or thrown down stairs,knocked down and slammed by opening and closing doors till you think you can laugh no more. The staging and the comic timing are brilliant, as is the cast, stepping in and out of character to address the audience. Most of the songs act as interludes, having nothing to do with the plot, but the curtain call, with everyone singing and dancing various dances of the early 60's like the Pony, and I kept thinking, DR JRand61 would really love this.
As to our leading man who won the Tony for Best Actor: perfection.
A lot of youtube clips from the show in London and New York; this clip of excerpts is good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOVO9Wpgu2o