James Corden was one of Alan Bennett's History Boys at the National Theatre. I loved that play and the cast, including Dominic Cooper, Samuel Barnett and Jamie Parker, were wonderful. But I never quite warmed to James Corden, the chubby lad who played the joker, Timms, and I didn't get into Gavin and Stacey or appreciate his appearances on game shows. The word 'annoying' springs to mind.
But I have come away from seeing him in the National Theatre's One Man, Two Guvnors, with unbridled admiration for his amazing - and amazingly physical - performance. He has perfect comic timing and bonds immediately with the audience. No wonder that the play sold out at the NT and after a national tour, it will transfer to the West End.
We gave him a standing ovation tonight and, after laughing myself hoarse, I must admit that it's one of the best shows that I've ever seen at the NT. And I seen lots of shows there.
Full credit to the rest of the cast, too, including Oliver Chris, Jemima Rooper, Daniel Rigby (who won a Best Actor BAFTA recently for his portrayal of Eric Morecambe) and an acquaintance of mine, David Benson, whose one man show, Think No Evil of Us: My Life with Kenneth Williams, is a masterpiece. I have seen it four times and it gets better every time.
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/64476/productions/one-man-two-guvnors.html
http://davidbenson.webs.com/
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