The curtain for One Man, Two Guvnors went up on Wednesday at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven for this year’s autumn production.

Peter Doran directed the show and it lived up to the normal excellent Torch Theatre quality, being a truly hilarious, chaotic comedy production from start to finish.

One Man, Two Guvnors stars local actor Christian Patterson as Francis Henshall. This role has been played over the years in different productions of the show by James Corden, Rufus Hound, and Shaun Williamson to name but a few.

This is the most successful theatre comedy of the past 50 years, with One Man, Two Guvnors having been seen by more than 1 million people worldwide including a run at London’s West End from 2011 for three years.

Set in the 1960s in Brighton and London, the sets designed by Sean Crowley really make you feel part of the play. I especially enjoyed the Brighton Pier and seafront scene and the sound effects were incredibly realistic.

Francis Henshall is an always hungry, cheeky and chubby assistant who becomes separately employed by two guvnors; gangster Roscoe Crabbe, played by Gabrielle Sheppard and upper class criminal Stanley Stubbers, played by James Mack.

Joining Christian on stage were Nicky Reynolds who plays the role of Dolly; Alex Parry as Charlie Clench; Dion Davies as Harry Dangle; Charles Angiama as Lloyd Boateng; Charlotte Workman as Pauline; Gwydion Rhys as Alan Dangle and lastly and by no means least, Peter Doran as Alfie.

With a hilarious mix of live songs performed by the ‘house band’ as well as the actors, with expert musical direction by Lloyd Grayshon, followed by slapstick and one-liners, One Man, Two Guvnors is British comedy at its very best.

The comedic timing of Christian Patterson as Francis Henshall is spot on and the audience participation and facial expressions left me laughing from the start to the finish - as well as the rest of the audience and also some of the cast.

There are so many elements of this farcical comedy it is hard to read what is going to happen next. On the first night it was difficult to tell whether what was happening or going wrong on stage was supposed to actually happen.

The character of Alfie played by director Peter Doran was exceptional. Hilariously funny, perfectly timed and must have been exhausting to act.

If you haven’t already booked your tickets I suggest you do so very soon, this play gives you a break from the normality of life and is a real fun night out.

One Man, Two Guvnors is at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, and runs until Saturday October 20 with a variety of evening and matinee performances. Tickets can be booked from the Torch Theatre’s Box Office on 01646 695267 or online at torchtheatre.co.uk