There are few greater - and rarer - pleasures in life than laughing 'til your face hurts and tears stream down your cheeks.
So if hysterics are your thing, I'd advise snapping up tickets to One Man Two Guvnors at Leeds Grand Theatre.
I didn't know anything about the play - which made it all the better - and I'm still not entirely sure what the plot was, beyond one man (Francis Henshall) having two guvnors (Roscoe Crabbe and Stanley Stubbers) - but it doesn't matter.
It's a classic farce, with people in disguise, characters disappearing through doors, food flying about, people falling over and risque jokes - and it's hilarious.
Click below to watch a scene from the play.
This production stars the inexhaustible Gavin Spokes (Hollyoaks, Utopia, The Bill) as the main man, Francis, who's rarely off the stage, and kept us all in hysterics with his quick wit - especially in the audience participation bits - good luck if you're sitting at the front!
I was expecting Norman Pace of Hale and Pace fame to have a larger part - he stars as Charlie 'the Duck' Clench, whose daughter Pauline is betrothed in a marriage of convenience to one of Francis's guvnors, Roscoe - but we don't see that much of him. When he is on stage, he plays the typical East End gangster character perfectly - as does Alicia Davies, as Roscoe.
Patrick Warner as Stanley Stubbers is brilliant, and has some utterly bonkers one-liners - one of which had my husband laughing throughout the interval, the second half and the drive home!
Edward Hancock as Pauline's OTT boyfriend, Alan Dangle, was a scene-stealer - as was Michael Dylan, as 80-odd year old novice waiter Alfie, who often finds himself on the wrong side of a flung-open door!
The play even has its own band, The Craze, who entertained us with some skiffle music before the show started and some rocking numbers during the interval, much to the delight of the young female audience members at the front!
I always enjoy plays at the Grand, but I don't always leave having laughed so much I cried. If you still can, make sure you get tickets!
