David O’Reilly has bagged the central role of Francis Henshall in the Derby Theatre and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch production of Richard Bean’s farce One Man, Two Guvnors.
Highlights of O’Reilly’s career include playing Bean the drunk in the ITV series Benidorm as well appearing in The Catherine Tate Show and The Book of Mormon in the West End and a UK tour of the musical Grease.
David Cardy will play Charlie in One Man, Two Guvnors. He played Chris, husband to Pauline Quirk’s Sharon, in the BBC sitcom Birds of a Feather.
Ivan Stott, who played Baloo in Neil Duffield’s adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book at Derby Theatre in 2018 and who has composed the music for several productions at the theatre, plays Harry.
Jack Brett, who took the lead in Mike Kenny’s adaptation of J M Barrie’s Peter Pan at Derby Theatre in 2017, plays Alan in One Man, Two Guvnors.
The rest of the cast comprises Samantha Hull (Pauline), George Kemp (Stanley), Alice Frankham (Rachel), T J Holmes (Alfie), Duane Hannibal (Lloyd), Craig Armstrong (Gareth) and Rosie Strobel (Dolly).
The creative team includes musical supervisor Kelvin Towse, set and costume designer Neil Irish, assistant director Trina Haldar, lighting designer Tim Skelly and sound designer Adam McCready.
Derby Theatre’s artistic director and chief executive Sarah Brigham who directs said, “I’m absolutely delighted to have assembled a cast and creative team of this calibre.
“One Man, Two Guvnors is an absolute firm favourite, the perfect theatrical treat for anyone looking for a truly great night out. During its West End and Broadway runs, the production proved phenomenally popular with audiences and the press alike, and I’m confident that Derby audiences and those in Hornchurch will love it too.”
The production will run at Derby Theatre from Saturday 7 until Saturday 28 September before moving to the Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from Wednesday 2 until Saturday 19 October.