James Corden Wins Tony for Lead Actor in a Play for ONE MAN TWO GUVNORS

James Corden is this year's recipient of the 2012 Tony Award for  Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for ONE MAN TWO GUVNORS. 

Corden is best known for his roles in One Man, Two Guvnors (Broadway, National Theatre) and The History Boys (National Theatre, Broadway and international tour).

His TV credits includes The Brit Awards, A League of Their Own, and Gavin and Stacey (co-creator and co-writer) (BAFTA Award for Television Programme of the Year, British Comedy Award for Best New Scripted Comedy. Writers Guild of Great Britain Award for Comedy Writer of the Year, South Bank Show Award for Comedy, Tric Award for Best Comedy, National Television Award 2010 for Best Comedy).

Bob Boyett and The National Theatre of Great Britain's production of ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS is currently playing at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street). ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS is a comedy by Richard Bean, based on Carlo Goldoni’s The Servant of Two Masters, with songs by Grant Olding, directed by Nicholas Hytner.

James Corden stars as “Francis Henshall” in ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS with Oliver Chris as “Stanley Stubbers”, Jemima Rooper as “Rachel Crabbe”, Tom Edden as “Alfie”, Martyn Ellis as “Harry Dangle”, Trevor Laird as “Lloyd Boateng”, Claire Lams as “Pauline Clench”, Fred Ridgeway as “Charlie Clench”, Daniel Rigby as “Alan Dangle”, Suzie Toase as “Dolly”. The company also includes Brian Gonzales, Eli James, Ben Livingston as “Gareth”, Sarah Manton, Stephen Pilkington, David Ryan Smith, Natalie Smith.

The production’s on stage band, “The Craze,” includes Jacob Colin Cohen on Drums & Percussion, Austin Moorhead on Lead Guitar, Jason Rabinowitz on Lead Vocals and Charlie Rosen on Bass, Matt Cusack and Zach Jones.

In ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS, Corden stars as “Francis Henshall” (“ONE MAN”). Always-famished and easily-confused, Henshall agrees to work for a local gangster as well as a criminal in hiding (“TWO GUVNORS”), both of whom are linked in a tangled web of schemes and romantic associations... none of which Francis can keep straight. So he has to do everything in his power to keep his two guvnors from meeting while trying to eat anything in sight along the way. Simple.

The creative team for ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS includes Mark Thompson (set & costumes), Cal McCrystal (Physical Comedy Director), Mark Henderson (lights) & Paul Arditti (sound).

ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS has been nominated for the following awards on Broadway: Seven Tony Awards including Best Performance by an Actor in a Play (James Corden), Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Tom Edden), Best Direction of a Play (Nicholas Hytner), Best Original Score (Grant Olding), Best Scenic Design in a Play (Mark Thompson), Best Costume Design in a Play (Mark Thompson), and Best Sound Design of a Play(Paul Arditti); Two Drama LeagueAwards including Distinguished Production of a Play and the Distinguished Performance Award (James Corden); Three Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Actor in a Play (James Corden), Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Tom Edden) and Outstanding Music in a Play (Grant Olding). ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS has won three Outer Critic Circle Awards including Outstanding New Broadway Play, Outstanding Director of a Play (Nicholas Hytner) and Outstanding Actor in a Play (James Corden). Tom Edden was nominated for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Tom Edden).

The Broadway production follows a sold-out run that opened at The National Theatre in May; a UK tour; and, a sold out run in London’s West End that began in fall 2011.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / Retna Ltd.