One Man, Two Guvnors.

Robert Massimi.

Last evening I watched "One Man, Two Guvnors" on PBS. Having been starved for theater; especially as a drama critic, I was excited to watch what was a Tony winner back in 2012. The shows synopsis: Francis Henshall (James Cordon) finds himself working for both a gangster and a criminal in hiding, both of whom are linked in a web of schemes, extortions and romantic associations. To prevent discovery, Francis must do everything to keep his two guvnors apart.

In the year 2012 at The Music Box Theatre, "One Man" won Tony's for: Outstanding Actor In A Play (James Cordon), Outstanding Featured Actor in A Play Nominee, (Tom Edden), and Grant Oldling for Outstanding Music In A Play. As a transplant from London, this much awaited play did not disappoint. Cordon's relentless energy made this a great comedy play. Reminiscent of "Noises Off" and "The Play That Goes Wrong"; "One Man, Two Guvnors" was equally slapstick and superbly funny.

Written by Richard Bean and directed by Nicholas Hytner (Best Director Nominee) this play has something for everyone. Like "The Play That Goes Wrong", audience members are brought on stage as part of the raucousness. The silly fun keeps coming and so do the laughs. Inspired by the Italian farce by Carlo Goldoni, this was a runaway hit at the National Theater in London.

In his quest to over come hunger, Cordon gives us the satanic and simple, dirty minded and utterly innocent. What would be Cordon's breakout role here in the United States, was an already established comic in England. Reminiscent of "The Little Tramp" eating his shoe because he was hungry, Cordon mixes concoctions to help his liquid habit. As a simple man, a simple bag of chips would serve his only wants. Going from unemployed to being over worked doesn't seem to bother him, he goes along for the ride.

In what has become a virtual world for theater these days, PBS's version of "One Man" was a welcome sight. Seeing all actors on one stage, albeit a T.V. was still easier on the eyes than the split screens on a virtual play. The escapism of a play like this was also welcome. Great comedies can always take you away and into the lives of the characters on stage.

Much of the evening was great entertainment and the band playing in-between scenes was an added benefit to what was a great evening. The audience really loved the music and the musicians were every bit as entertaining as the actors themselves. As the show got along, the band got bigger, the songs got bigger and so did the gags. This show became a fast moving train to slapstick station.

With Broadway shut down, I would hope that PBS and other stations will host more theater. Far superior to the virtual theater out there, we need shows like this to escape from 2020.

"One Man" was a slapstick comedy serving two men; "The Play That Goes Wrong" is a play about a show that could not have been any worse on performance night. From floors that broke, to slats that smashed people, doors that would not open and doors that would not shut. "Noises Off" was an equally funny slapstick comedy that showed you three acts of the same play from different views of the cast.

They're have been many great slapstick comedies; these three aforementioned come to mind. When Broadway opens back up, it will be interesting to see if "The Play" returns to New World Stages.