Michael Hugo is to play Francis Henshall in a new production of Richard Bean’s comedy One Man, Two Guvnors at the New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Hugo is a regular at the New Vic where he took the role of Neil “Nello” Baldwin in Baldwin and Malcolm Clarke’s Marvellous in 2022. In One Man, Two Guvnors, he is Henshall, sacked from his band and out of work. But he can’t be kept down for long and he soon has two dubious new employers. There’s just one problem: they can’t know about each other.
The cast also features a number of actors who are returning to the New Vic. Howard Chadwick, who had several roles in Deborah McAndrew’s adaptation of Arnold Bennett’s The Card in 2023 as well as playing Harry in Derby Theatre’s presentation of Brassed Off, also in 2023, will be Charlie Clench; Jessica Dyas, who was Ruth Earp in The Card, will play Dolly; and Alyce Liburd, who was Grace Gumby in Ron Hutchinson’s A Leap in the Dark in February 2024, will take the role of Pauline.
Also appearing on stage will be Gareth Cooper (Stanley Stubbers), Thomas Cotran (Alan Dangle), Lucinda Freeburn (Rachel Crabbe), Nick Haverson (Alfie), Jonathan Markwood (Harry Dangle), Daniel Miles (Gareth) and Declan Wilson (Lloyd Boateng).
Conrad Nelson will direct. Designer will be Lis Evans and musical director will be Rebekah Hughes. The creative team also includes Daniella Beattie (lighting designer), Simon Deacon (sound designer) Beverley Norris-Edmunds (movement director and choreographer), Nick Haverson (physical comedy consultant), Anji Carroll CDG (casting associate) and Mandeeep Glover (assistant director).
One Man, Two Guvnors will be staged in the round at the New Vic from Friday 12 April until Saturday 11 May.