A one-of-a-kind performance shown in Lewes, Del.
Beginning Monday, Oct. 24, Cinema Art Theater will hold ‘One Man, Two Guvnors,’ the eighth play in the exciting series of National Theatre Live screenings.
National Theatre Live is a groundbreaking project that presents the best of British theater live from the London stage on film to cinemas across the UK and around the world. According to David Ruffner, administrative coordinator for the Cinema Art Theater, the theater started offering taped, live performances in April.
“We do it every month and it has really been building as word gets out,” Ruffner says.
Last month, the theater show ‘The Audience’ and it completely sold out, pushing Cinema Art Theater to add another performance. Ruffner hopes this performance does just as well.
One Man, Two Guvnors takes place in the British seaside town of Brighton, where Francis Henshall has just been fired from his skiffle band.
Despondent and desperate for fish and chips, Henshall ends up in the employ of Roscoe Crabbe, a small-time hood from the East End of London. But it turns out that “Roscoe” is really his twin sister Rachel in disguise, because Roscoe was murdered by Rachel’s boyfriend Stanley Stubbers. As fate would have it, Stanley is also hiding out in Brighton waiting to be reunited with Rachel, and employs Henshall, as well. In order to keep both his jobs Henshall, who is also working on a romance of his own, must keep his two guvnors (slang for boss) from discovering each other.
The play presents slapstick at its finest, with actors falling down stairs, slamming doors, making double entendre and even interacting with the audience in two extended passages of improvisation. It is a tour-de-comic force for Corden, who brings a winningly warm and harassed humanity to the role. You won’t see a car karaoke number in this performance, but you can be sure that James Corden will make you laugh so much that your sides will hurt.
One Man, Two Guvnors features a Tony Award-winning performance from host of the The Late Late Show, James Corden and was a runaway hit both in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“We’re hoping it will do well because it has James Corden in it, who everyone knows, and it’s supposed to be really funny—hopefully people will come out for a laugh,” Ruffner says.
Cinema Art Theater will run the show Monday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. Admission for members is $18 and general admission is $20.
“It’s something we wouldn’t get in this area from a touring company so it’s different and it’s a lot cheaper,” Ruffner laughs.
Reservations can be purchased online or by calling the office, (302) 645-9095. If not sold out, admission will be available at the door.
