Standing ovation thoroughly deserved for One Man, Two Guvnors

As we left Aylesbury Waterside Theatre I heard one man remark: “That was the best comedy I have ever seen.”

And I would struggle to disagree.

James Corden was nothing short of sensational as Francis Henshall, the sacked skiffle band member and hapless helper of two employers – snooty Stanley Stubbers, played by Oliver Chris and wanted woman Rachel Crabbe posing as her dead brother, as played by Jemima Rooper.

Based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, this adaptation sees the tale set in Brighton in 1963 with Corden playing a character who has only three priorities, sex, food and money – and not necessarily in that order!

The more I see of Corden, the more I would like to be his friend.

He had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand with his improvisation – and almost ended up with a houmous sandwich snack halfway through act one after one theatre-goer offered out his food.

It wasn’t just his larger-than-life portrayal of the character, delivering punchlines effortlessly with every breath – but also his hilarious movements. The one-man fight scene had me in stitches.

And I didn’t have time to recover from the last glorious gag before the next was delivered in a flurry of brilliance that lasted from curtain up to the final bows.

The slapstick hilarity of the lunch scene at the end of act one was so riotously funny that when I wasn’t bent double with laughter myself I spotted fellow audience members holding their sides and wiping tears from their eyes.

Tom Edden as ancient trembling waiter Alfie deserved his own applause – not only for his brilliant doddery persona and impressive stunt moves, but for the way he stayed completely in character even as the curtain went down.

His unplanned burst through the set in an awkward fall during the lunch scene caused giggles both on stage and in the crowd but he took it in his stride and it only added to the planned pandemonium.

The second half was slightly less funny as the first – but it was a very high standard to beat and still had numerous flashes of comedy gold.

Daniel Rigby’s classic poses as Alan never failed to inspire a chuckle, and his purchase of a butter knife from Woolies to kill his “nemesis” was funnier every time another character asked where it was from.

Piles of praise should also be heaped on Chris for his classic snobbery and I must mention Suzie Toase as the delightful Dolly, who I just simply loved watching.

I haven’t laughed so much in ages – and Corden’s standing ovation was thoroughly deserved.

A triumphant must-see.