David O’Reilly appears as Francis Henshall in the Tony award-winning farce One Man, Two Guvnors which is being staged in a new production in September at Derby Theatre in a co-production with Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch.
One Man, Two Guvnors is a side-splitting mix of physical comedy, farce and live music and has remained a huge hit with audiences and the press alike since the National Theatre’s production opened to rave reviews in 2011.
One Man, Two Guvnors starring David O’Reilly runs at Derby Theatre from Saturday 7 until Saturday 28 September, before moving on to play at the Queen’s Theatre from Wednesday 2 until Saturday 19 October.
You’re appearing as Francis in One Man, Two Guvnors – for anyone who’s never seen it how would you describe it?
Francis Henshall is described by Richard Bean (the Writer of One Man, Two Guvnors) as a lovable idiot. At his core, I think he means well and his actions are driven by his short term needs and wants. Personally, I feel like he would never intentionally want to insult someone unless he is triggered by his insecurities, he’s a man easily influenced by others and their actions because simply he just doesn’t know better. So, whilst never intending to, he can make situations very awkward and the potentiality of insulting someone is great. He has very clear super objectives in the show. He’s a larger than life character who just trying to make a living.
What are you looking forward to most about taking on the role of Francis?
I am looking forward to the challenge that comes with playing Francis. He’s an amazing character with a huge amount of presence and innocent unintended humour, which is a real treat to play. Comedy can be difficult to get right and I’ve learnt from previous jobs that at the base of all good jokes and humour is truth and rehearsal.
When the writing is as good as it is in this play you can really enjoy it and let the words (excuse the pun!) speak for themselves. Francis also deals with a big amount of physical comedy and stunts. It has been wonderful to learn about how to move and create stunts to get the maximum comedy reaction. One Man, Two Guvnors is an adaptation of A Servant and Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni so we have looked at Commedia Dell’Arte considerably to understand the foundation of which the characters are based on, working with expert Chiara D’Anna was amazing, as we could really look at the physicality of the characters.
I treated it like a pick n mix and took some great elements that have had a really informative way of influencing my understanding and decision making regarding the character.
How does Francis differ to other roles you’ve played?
Well he has a cockney accent so that in itself is very different (lol). My other theatre roles had a tendency to work as part of a team. Francis has to work things out for himself, so whilst he is under instruction he is very much in the driving seat. This often results in the mishaps that the audience will see throughout the play. I suppose in many ways, people will relate to him, not in the sense of physically but in the way of relating to his decisions and the mistakes that he makes. With Francis comes a real sense of responsibility for the piece Sensitivity: Internal and the technical requirements from an acting point of view is completely different to anything I have ever done.
How have you and fellow cast members been getting to know each other?
Well, to start with it’s not a huge cast, not in terms of other jobs I’ve been on, so the intimacy of the rehearsal room really lends itself to getting to know one another. Going into week three, we now have the skiffle band and the energy in the room is fantastic. The scenes in this play have a large number of multiple characters in it so there is always a rehearsal call with different cast members in it.
The production will play at Derby before moving to Hornchurch, what opportunities does performing in two venues open up for the company?
With different venues comes different opportunities and different challenges, this will keep the show fresh. Every audience is different, so this will also play a factor in the rhythm and pace of the show so there will be a real responsibility on the actors to ensure that we stay on top of this.
What would you say to anyone thinking of coming to see One Man, Two Guvnors?
I would say if you are looking for a fun night out like no other then come see One Man Two Guvnors. Richard Bean has written an incredibly funny play. It is a play that many people will relate to, if not directly to the era, then definitely to the various, very relatable, characters.
