James Corden, star of One Man, Two Guvnors

After playing for just over three months at the Adelphi Theatre in London, the highly-acclaimed One Man, Two Guvnors closed on 25th February 2012. The show opened at the West End with previews from 8th November 2011 after a highly successful run at the National Theatre in the summer of 2011, with five-star reviews and the blogging site Everything Theatre commenting that the hit comedy play was ‘one of the most side-splittingly hilarious productions ever to be staged in London’. After its National Theatre run, One Man, Two Guvnors performed on tour throughout the UK with its original cast in cities such as Edinburgh and Birmingham, before settling down at the Adelphi Theatre.

The show has proved so popular that it opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on April 18 2012, where Cordon reprised his role as Francis Henshall. The West End production moved to the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End starring a new cast led by Owain Arthur in the lead role, who was Cordon’s understudy on the original production. Tickets are now on sale for the transfer, which began its run at the Haymarket on 2 March 2012.

Based on the 1743 Italian play Servant of Two Masters by Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni, One Man, Two Guvnors replaces Italy and the 200 year-old time-period with Brighton in 1963, updating the classic and hilarious story and bringing it to a British audience. This new version has been written by playwright Richard Bean who has written plays that have been performed at the Lyric Hammersmith, Royal Court and Hampstead Theatres.

One Man, Two Guvnors played to packed out audiences night after night at the Adelphi Theatre, with people coming from afar after hearing the word about how funny the show is. The leading man of the cast was comedian James Corden, best known for co-writing BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey and also starring in the TV show as Smithy. Corden played Francis in One Man, Two Guvnors since the show opened at the National Theatre, performing the part in its tour and transfer to the West End.

Due to the popularity of the show, One Man, Two Guvnors was broadcast to cinemas around the world on 15th September 2011 during its National Theatre run.