So last night I finally saw One Man, Two Guvnors at The Citadel, and I did rather enjoy it in general. I particularly loved some of the comments made/revealed in the talk back afterward (one of the bonuses of having moved my ticket to a Tuesday evening, I guess!). It was very well performed, and was perhaps the play that includes the most slapstick and physical humor of any live show I've seen in recent years. Set in 1963, the humor is at times dated but still relevant to some of the current issues today with regards to the status of women (though some of the jokes are particularly crass, and turns of phrase are ridiculous), intelligence, and social status etc. I'm not about to spoil either the plot or any of the particular humorous elements of the show (whether scripted or not… because there were a few moments in our show that weren't at all scripted: I kind of hope that there are replacement items in storage to replace what broke or that the props people will be able to quickly procure something for tonight's show.
But my goodness it was an awkward production on occasion for me to watch. Particularly when dealing with some of the status of women moments (in the wake of public scandals, public discussions and other aspects in the news recently), I didn't laugh. And my giggle is pretty distinctive on most occasions so yeah… While the show was a really good romp that made fun of so many aspects of life and things and was really great British humor I found some of it really didn't work for me at all. Which is fine, really. To each their own, I suppose, but still. I wonder at how I would have reacted had I seen this show at a different stage in my life?
I loved the costumes, the acting, and some of the other aspects of the show. But what was perhaps my favourite aspect was The Craze, the band playing throughout the show (played by local uke band, The Be Arthurs… which I have always enjoyed in past Edmonton encounters). Since I sat in the second row, I could very easily see them perform their role in the show — providing that 1960s music that I so adored growing up (no, I didn't grow up in the 1960s, but some of my favourite musical artists from my youth, The Beatles included, had their heydays during the 1960s). And good gosh how I love ukelele music! The comedic musical numbers were among my favourites. And this reflects some of my current musical tastes too… in fact a number of my more favourite geeky musical artists are of the comedic kind, at least occasionally.