Green mountain. Modern Goldoni. Soon, the premiere of “The Man of Two Bosses” at Lubuski Theater

On May 14, the premiere of Richard Bean’s “The Man with Two Presidents”, directed by Tomas Dotkowitz, will be held at the Lubowski Theatre. Although the author of the play largely refers to the best examples of criminal literature, he does not instill tension in the audience, but rather provokes their unrestrained laughter. By updating Goldoni, he created an excellent farce full of sudden twists.

Three centuries ago, the audience was engulfed in laughter as they watched The Adventures of the Clown Trofaldin – “Servant of the Two Lords” from Carl Goldoni’s commedia dell’arte. Working on two fronts, the hero constantly confuses the orders of his superiors, which leads to many misunderstandings and funny twists and turns. Could this story be as entertaining today as it was back then? Yes, certainly – especially if we adapt it to times closer to our present.

British comedian Richard Bean conducted such an operation, moving the prototype’s plot from eighteenth-century Venice to Brighton in 1963. In this version, Trovaldeen formerly bears the name of Francis Henshall, a petite English crook trying to settle in life by taking over work for two managers in same time. As it soon turned out, they have an unusual and rather dangerous relationship. While maneuvering between employers, Francis has to stand on his head to hide the reality of his double job. Otherwise, his life could be at stake…

However, do not let the audience worry too much about the fate of our hero!

Although the author of the play largely refers to the best examples of criminal literature, he does not instill tension in the audience, but rather provokes their unrestrained laughter. By updating Goldoni, he created an excellent farce full of sudden twists.

Since the London premiere of “The Man of Two Bosses” in 2011, it has enjoyed unparalleled popularity in Great Britain. He also won the hearts of audiences on Broadway, and then in Poland – thanks to a production made in 2015 by Tomasz Dutkiewicz, director of the Comedy Theater in Warsaw. Much earlier, in the early 90s, the director often collaborated with the Lubuskie Theater, where he made, among other things, “Love Story” by Eric Segal and “Songe” by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weil. Now he’s back with “A Man of Two Bosses” to provide the local audience with some great entertainment. It refers to the imitation of slapstick, situational comedy, or stand-up. It also uses elements of interactive performance, thanks to which viewers will have the opportunity to enter the theater and play with our actors, while they will have the opportunity to establish a direct dialogue with the audience.
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Written by Richard Bain (based on “The Servant of Two Two Seals” by Carl Goldoni)
Translation: Claudina Rosen
Direction and Music: Tomas Dotkiewicz
Scenography: Wojciech Stefaniak
Fashion: Dorota Roqueplo
The Light: Olaf Triesne
Assistant Director: Janusz Moisky
Production Director: Beata Sobicka-Kupczyk