One Man, Two Guvnors

A new cast moves into Richard Bean's uproarious update of 'A Servant to Two Masters' without loss. All the bellylaughs are present and correct, but 'One Man, Two Guvnors' still lacks what it's always lacked: a killer second-half routine.

Don't let that put you off, though, because Bean's play is top tier end-of-the-pier stuff. The restaurant scene that ends the first half is among the best-crafted farce you'll see. With Francis Henshall sprinting between his two supping superiors, Alfie, the frailest garçon in the West, gets caught in the culinary crossfire. Martin Barrass's doddery waiter justifies the ticket price alone.

Generally, the actors work harder, but serve Bean's play better. As Henshall, Harlequin's hip replacement, former understudy Owain Arthur is a proper old-school star, with shades of Oliver Hardy and George Formby. A steroidal Toby Jones with a seesawing Welsh accent, he's weirder than Corden, adding menace without sacrificing warmth. In times of stress, his face turns puce like a rising thermometer.

Gemma Whelan adds real flint to Rachel, the girl disguised as a gangster, while Hannah Spearritt increases Pauline's joyful dimness. Ben Mansfield and Daniel Ing nail the hammy asides of the cocksure men, and even if Jodie Prenger can't stop her hips from hula-ing, it remains a knockout.