Adapted by Richard Bean from the 18th century Italian comedy, Arlecchino servitore di due padroni, by Carlo Goldoni, One Man, Two Guvnors finally arrives in Blackpool this week. Running at The Grand from Tuesday 27th November to Saturday 1st December, the production features comedian Rufus Hound and Blackpool’s own Jodie Prenger. 
The play has been the focus of a plethora of awards during its stints at the West End and Broadway, including best play at the Evening Standard Awards 2011 and best actor, won by James Cordon, at the prestigious Tony Awards in the same year.
In his weighty tome on plot, The Seven Basic Plots, Christopher Booker outlines the key elements of a traditional comedy. These include hidden or unclear identities and lovers in a state of uncertainty. Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors is a prime example of the genre. In One Man, Two Guvnors, a naive Francis finds himself employed by two criminals. One of his employers is, it transpires, not the criminal Francis believes him to be but rather that man’s sister. She has assumed her brother’s character after he was murdered by her boyfriend who is, as it happens, the other guvnor. The humorous element of the play is found in Francis’ desperate attempts to keep his employers from meeting. 
In the play, Jodie Prenger takes the part of Dolly, Francis’ buxom love interest. During a hectic week of rehearsals, Jodie managed to spare a few minutes to answer a selection of random questions for altBlackpool, in her typical warm and humorous fashion.
VE: Fight or flight?
JP: Has to be a flight, oh yes, with a Caribbean beach and a piña colada waiting at the other end.
VE: Impulse or pause for thought?
JP: Impulse 100%, you can tell by the amount of shoes I have in my wardrobe.
VE: All the world’s a stage?
JP: I hope not, it’s nice to take your lashes off and get your slippers on and a good brew. I guess my life is like a hovis loaf, Best of Both. I get to fulfil my dream of performing on stage, and I get to snuggle up with my fella and dogs at the end of a night. 
VE: Owl or lark?
JP: I’ll have both. Might as well. I have two parrots, three budgies, might as well have another couple of feathered friends.
VE: Town or country?
JP: Well I’m around the country visiting lots of towns. So I’d be a hypocrite to pick between them.
VE: Performing is..
JP: Something as a little girl I always dreamed of. I’m so privileged and proud the glorious British people welcome me into their homes, be it on TV or onto their stages.
Tickets are still available and start at £12.00 They can be bought via the website or by phoning 01253 290190.
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