Interview: Peter Caulfield, currently playing Alfie in One Man, Two Guvnors

Peter Caulfield is currently playing Alfie in the West End production of One Man, Two Guvnors which recently became the longest running show at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in its almost two hundred-year history.

The actor recently toured with One Man, Two Guvnors on its second UK tour. His previous theatre credits include: Me and My Girl at the Kilworth House Theatre, The Merchant of Venice and The Wind in the Willows at Derby Theatre, Enron for the Chichester Festival Theatre and Royal Court, Present: Tense for Southwark Playhouse, Man of Mode at the National Theatre, The Wild Duck at the Donmar Warehouse, Into the Woods at the Royal Opera House and Elegies: A Song Cycle at the Arts Theatre.

Peter chats to West End Frame about the huge success of One Man, Two Guvnors, how he plays such a physically demanding role without injuring himself and his favourite shows in London at the moment…

You’ve been in the West End production of One Man, Two Guvnors for a couple of months now. How’s it going so far? 

Is that all? It seems like longer! But not in a negative way [laughs]. I feel so at home in the show that it feels like I’ve been doing it a lot longer. I’m genuinely having the most fun on stage I’ve ever had, in a fantastic role, with the best cast, in a hit show - it’s a dream job. Plus the London audiences have been so responsive and warm. After touring with the production up north I thought it would be hard to top. 

Prior to joining the UK Tour had you seen the show? When did you first hear about One Man, Two Guvnors and what were your initial reactions?

I originally saw the breakdown for Alfie a few years back when the National were casting for this new exciting adaptation of ‘A Servant Of Two Masters.’ I was working at the time but remember reading the breakdown and thinking ‘I can play that part’… which is odd as Alfie is an 87 year old, hard of hearing, arthritic octogenarian and I was only 30 at the time! But they wanted someone with strong comedic and character skills who was also physically agile and able to take a good battering. When I saw Tom Edden play the role originally at the National, bar James Corden, he completely stole the show for me; which was reiterated when he was nominated for a Tony Award and Won The Drama Desk Award for best supporting actor on Broadway. I’m now 32 and it’s still an unbelievable shock that I eventually got cast in the show on tour and then got asked to join the current West End cast. 

Why did you want to return to the show after touring?

I had a pretty rough time on the tour. I was diagnosed with Lieshmaniasis half way through - which is a parasitic infection of the blood stream that you get from a female sand fly bite. Gross I know! I was diagnosed during a break from tour. I was admitted into hospital for 5 weeks on Christmas Eve - and regrettably had to pull out of the international part of the tour. My last stop on the tour was Nottingham, which is where I grew up so was special - but I definitely felt like the show was untimely ripped away from me. When I was fully recovered and the offer of the West End came from the National I jumped at the chance to finish what I had started. I feel so lucky to be part of the show again. 

What do you think is the key to One Man, Two Guvnors’ success? Why do you think it is still such a popular show? 

The show is ultimately very British so it appeals to local audiences as well as tourists that have come to see a quintessentially British comedy. Fawlty Towers, The Carry On Films, Pantomime, Morecambe and Wise - there are comedy references all through the show to these British slapstick classics and I think it makes people reminisce about a lost era of comedy, but then gives it a modern 21st century twist where nothing is what it seems. The show constantly shocks and surprises the audience into fits of laughter and is so cleverly written and constructed that you're not totally sure what’s real and what is rehearsed. I think it’s the spontaneity of the show that keeps the audiences coming back. 

Alfie is a very physically demanding role – how do you do it eight times a week without injuring yourself? 

Hmmm… well… I have a few shiny bruises but touch wood I haven’t ever really injured myself badly doing the role. Stretching properly before the show is pretty essential when playing Alfie, drinking lots of water and eating lots of oily fish to keep my joints supple. It seems I’ve been blessed with an abnormally bendy back which makes some of the Alfie stunts easier, but the massage therapy I receive from the amazing Bryan Barratt every week at the Haymarket has prevented my body from seizing up like a real 86 year old man. 

How did you find different audiences reacted to the show when you toured the UK? 

Well it was interesting. They definitely laughed slightly heartier, or more freely up north. Because I play Alfie with quite a thick northern accent the response up north was always incredibly warm, especially when I was in my home town Nottingham. But to be honest the show is so well written and constructed so as long as you say the lines in the right place at the right time I’ve found audiences pretty much react the same down in London as they do up north. 

What are the cast like to work with? What’s the atmosphere like backstage at the Theatre Royal Haymarket? 

It sound like a cliché but we all really get on and there’s a brilliant atmosphere backstage. We all feel like we’ve got something special with this cast and hopefully that comes across to the audience. There’s a great mix of completely new people to the show, a few tour actors (like myself and Kellie Shirley, who plays Pauline) and then old stalwarts like David Benson, who have been on the show since the very beginning. We like to call ourselves the dream team [laughs]. Or maybe that’s just me. 

What are your favourite shows in London at the moment? 

One of my favourite shows in town at the moment is Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I loved the book and the way it’s brought to life with the modern use of computer graphics and imaginative staging is just incredible, as is The Light Princess at the National. I really want to see the site specific promenade show The Drowned Man by Punchdrunk as I’ve heard so many fantastic things. If it’s anything like their production of Faust back in 2007 I’ll be in heaven. 

What would you like to do next after you finish One Man, Two Guvnors next year? 

I’d love to do some more work with the Imaginarium, a motion capture company I was asked to join last year which is run by one of my idols Andy Serkis. Also I’d love to do some more Shakespeare at the Globe or RSC. Perhaps play someone my own age for a change or maybe play a woman in something - that would be a challenge. I reckon I could pull off Glinda in Wicked: “toss, toss”. 

Theatre fans are very supportive of long-running shows such as One Man, Two Guvnors. What is it like having that kind of support behind you? 

It’s what makes the show still run. Without the support of theatre fans us lowly would be out of work. I really hope the televised National Theatre 50 year celebrations have inspired a whole new generation of theatre fans for the future and then I can keep performing for the next 50 years. 

Interview by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com 

One Man, Two Guvnors runs at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until 1st March 2014.

Click here to book tickets.

Read our recent interview with Peter's co-star Kellie Shirley

You can follow Peter on Twitter: @petercaulfield

Click here to visit his YouTube channel. 

Photo Credit: Johan Persson

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