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One Man, Two Guvnors cover
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Pre-order. Available Jan 22 2026
$19.08 RRP $23.85 Website price saving $4.77 (20%)

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This title is available for exam copy requests

Description

A Methuen Drama Student Edition of Richard Bean's celebrated reworking of Carlo Goldoni's farce, which premiered at the National Theatre, UK, in 2011.

The commentary to the play considers how Bean uses farce to discuss contemporary politics and social issues; the theatrical lineage of the play and its original from Commedia dell'Arte to contemporary farce; the art of adaptation; practical challenges and opportunities of staging a farce; and the cathartic value of slapstick comedy in modern times.

The Notes section helps to decode some of the play's references that today's students may not be so familiar with - eg. seaside postcard humour, Carry On films and all of the 1960s cultural references.

The edition also includes an interview with Richard Bean, as well as with members of the original production's creative team and cast.

A much-needed edition of this iconic and hugely enjoyable play, ideal for courses on contemporary theatre, adaptation and comedy studies.

Table of Contents

Chronology
Commentary

Contexts - historical, cultural and theatrical
Genre and style
Themes
Play as performance
Production history and critical reception
Scholarly trends and debates
Behind the scenes
Further exploration
PLAYTEXT
Notes to the play

Product details

Explore Methuen Drama
Published Jan 22 2026
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Extent 144
ISBN 9781350402331
Imprint Methuen Drama
Series Student Editions
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Richard Bean

In 2011 Richard became the first playwright to win…

Volume Editor

David Gram

David Gram is Assistant Professor of Theatre (Dire…

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