One Man, Two Guvnors is a fast-paced, hilarious farce that follows the mixed fortunes of Francis Henshall. Down on his luck and permanently hungry, Francis suddenly finds himself employed by two bosses. His first guvnor is Roscoe Crabbe, a revered London gangster who has, apparently, come to Brighton to claim money owed to him by his fiancee’s father, Charlie Clench. However it soon becomes clear that Roscoe is, in fact, his twin sister Rachel Crabbe in disguise. Roscoe was killed by Rachel’s boyfriend, Stanley Stubbers, and she wants the money to flee the country with Stanley. Unfortunately for Francis, his second boss is Stanley, who does not know that Rachel is in Brighton. Stanley is hiding from the police, waiting to be reunited with Rachel. To prevent discovery and earn money from both guvnors, Francis must keep Rachel and Stanley apart. To aid him in his quest, Francis enlists help from the audience and frequently brings unsuspecting audience members up on to the stage to do his job for him. Meanwhile, Roscoe’s fiancee and Charlie’s daughter, Pauline Clench, must keep Rachel’s disguise a secret, risking her own future happiness with wannabe thespian, Alan Dangle. As Francis’s world plunges into further mayhem and confusion, his attempts to woo Dolly, Charlie’s bookkeeper, go awry and he must prove to her that he is a good, honest man. Believing Stanley to be dead, Rachel finally ditches her disguise but she is soon reunited with her lover. Normality is restored as Francis plans to take Dolly on holiday to Majorca, Pauline and Alan are reunited, and Rachel and Stanley decide to marry and turn themselves in to the police. One Man, Two Guvnors is a rollicking farce, which often breaks the fourth wall, as Francis enlists the aid of willing and unwilling audience members in his quest to serve two masters and finally get a good meal.
One Man, Two Guvnors guide sections
