One Man, Two Guvnors at Sydney Theatre: the British smash hit comes to town

Having played to full houses in London and New York, won theatre awards, earned rave reviews and let loose a word-of-mouth storm, the National Theatre of Great Britain’s hit One Man, Two Guvnors is in Sydney care of the Sydney Theatre Company, featuring the British cast that made it famous.

Inspired by Goldoni’s classic The Servant of Two Masters, this new production – written by Richard Bean and staged by the National Theatre’s Director, Nicholas Hytner – has been described as “a comic masterpiece for the 21st Century”.

Goldoni, a famed but ultimately tragic Italian commedia dell’arte playwright of the 18th Century, first presented Il Servitore di Due Padroni (The Servant of Two Masters) in 1746. The play was written for a famous harlequin called Antonio Sacchi, (whose stage name, Truffaldino, is the servant’s name in the play) and was based on an existing plot. The National Theatre’s modern take retains all the comic genius of the commedia dell’arte, while reinventing the play for modern audiences. It has been a resounding success.

Set in the seaside town of Brighton during the swinging ’60s, this is the tale of a simple man, Francis Henshall, who manages to find himself in the employ of two bosses at once. In the great traditions of farce and slapstick, this leads to all manner of brouhaha including mistaken identities, love triangles and a host of silly but loveable characters.

This play has a limited season, so book now to see this much-loved show.

What: One Man, Two Guvnors

Where: Sydney Theatre

When: Until May 11 (some dates sold out)

Tickets/info: STC website

Check out the STC’s promotional clip here: