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Heritage to End Season with Tony Award-Winning ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’

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John Kelly

The 40th-anniversary season of the Heritage Theatre Festival season will close with an uproarious farce that has delighted audiences around the world.

“One Man, Two Guvnors” opens July 24 at the Culbreth Theatre and runs through Aug. 2, bringing with it an evening’s worth of sharp satire, mistaken identities, plot twists and merry mayhem.

The farce won raves on London’s West End before heading to New York, where it scored seven Tony Award nominations and won a Tony for Best Actor.

The story revolves around Francis Henshall, a man of oversized appetites of every kind, who decides to add a new boss to the one he already has, setting the stage for all manner of shenanigans. His frantic efforts to keep them apart bring about an escalating series of comedic contortions.

Based on the play “The Servant of Two Masters” by Carlo Goldoni, the comedy was written by Roger Bean with songs by Grant Olding. Robert Chapel, professor of musical theater in the University of Virginia’s Department of Drama and Heritage’s producing artistic director, is directing the production.

Performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Culbreth with a matinee on Aug. 2. Tickets are $30 ($25 for seniors, U.Va. faculty and staff and U.Va. Alumni, and $15 for students).

Due to adult language and subject matter, the production is recommended for mature audiences only.

Chapel said he first saw the show on Broadway. “It was truly one of the funniest shows I had ever seen,” he said. “It’s so well written, and there’s so much comedic business happening on stage that it has to be done precisely.”

The lead role of Francis in this production is played by Chapel’s longtime friend, Malcolm Tulip, an associate professor of theater with a specialty in music and dance at the University of Michigan. Tulip also serves as the show’s choreographer.

“The role of Francis has to be played by someone with great movement skills, someone who is just as comfortable standing on a stage as he is rolling around on it,” Chapel said. “Malcolm has all those skills and more.”

The show marks a return for Tulip, who last performed for Heritage in 2008 in the one-man show, “I Am My Own Wife.” 

“That show, in which he played multiple characters, requires an actor who can totally command the stage, just as the role of Francis does in ‘One Man, Two Guvnors,’” Chapel said. “I think our audiences are in for a real treat with him.”

At the heart of all of the close calls, mistaken identities and slamming doors, Chapel said, is the common denominator of fun.

“This is a comedy that has a little bit of everything – sharp writing, fabulous physical comedy, great sight gags and more,” he said. “It even manages to make some of the oldest jokes in the book feel new again.”

Free parking for Heritage Theatre Festival performances is available at the Culbreth Road Parking Garage, located across from the theaters.

For information on the 2014 Heritage Theatre Festival season, visit www.uvahtf.org.

 


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