RESOURCES
MUSIC & ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS
MUSIC
More than simply entertaining, music plays an integral cultural role in
One Man, Two Guvnors in two distinct but extremely important ways!
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First, song and dance (especially comic and novelty songs) are a major feature of the British Panto performance; though this play may take inspiration from its Italian ancestor, the feel of the work is undeniably British. The use of music throughout would set a very "Panto"--and thus, festive and celebratory--mood for its British audiences through well-known convention and a hefty-dose of nostalgia. THAT SAID, never fear for our primarily American audience--the fun, jovial nature of the integration--let alone the uptempo, major key, mid-20th century music that is far from foreign to our audience (even if they don't know the word "skiffle") means that American audiences--from the hit run on Broadway to our undoubted hit run in Columbus--know from the start that they're going to have a great time!
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The choice of Skiffle Music, however, does more than merely set a "party" atmosphere. Skiffle recalls an extremely specific place and time, and carries a narrative of youthful defiance against economic hardship, mainstream cultural values, and noise ordinances. Moreover--it marks a cultural "moment-before-a-moment" -- like so much else about the setting of April, 1963, skiffle represents the first steps toward what would become the culture of the youthful, tumultuous, and at times painful latter portion of the 20th century. Like Shaw's ability to constantly remind his Heartbreak House audience that we know, even if the characters do not, that WWI is just on the horizon, One Man, Two Guvnors visits Britain on the eve of a new wave of British Pop-Culture supremecy in the west, and the birth of "modern Britain" (and all the good and bad that the moniker carries).
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This page explores Skiffle, as well as a quick look at music in Panto. First up:
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SKIFFLE & YOU
Although it has its earliest origins in the early jazz communities in New Orleans and Chicago, "Skiffle" (as we know it today, and as is portrayed in One Man, Two Guvnors), was/is a primarily British music sub-genre, born out of the economic devastation felt in many urban areas in the early '50s during the slow and lingering reconstruction after World War II. Early skiffle bands were largley known for their homemade instruments (cigar box guitars, washtub basses, scrub board percussion, handmade kazoos and mouth harps, and even such "found" objects as typewriter percussion, spoons, and various cobbled-together junkyard items). With these homemade instruments, early skiffle bands adopted the blues, folk, bluegrass, and jugband sounds of several economically-depressed (and largely African American) areas of the United States, resulting in uptempo bluesy-folk tunes with a healthy does of pre-Rock n' Roll teenage rebellion.
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Over time, some skiffle bands began to incorporate store-bought instrumentation--both in terms of traditional items (acoustic guitars, stand-up basses, etc.), but also newer and electrified instruments (Semi-hollow body, Stratocaster, and other electric guitars, electric basses, bare-bones 5-piece drum kits, etc.). This period featured a grand hybrid of styles, from bands whose sound strongly reflected the pre-jazz and jugband origins, to bands whose sound could almost be confused for later Rock and Roll acts like Buddy Holly & the Crickets. Many bands also found themselves with a hybrid instrumental line-up -- with one member holding an electric guitar, and another proudly strumming a washboard.
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As the late '50s seeped into the early '60s, the influence of Rockabilly and other early Rock and Roll began taking over the club scene, and many a band that started with Skiffle (including the Beatles and members of the Rolling Stones) began to transition to what would soon become "the British Invasion" of Rock.
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MAJOR INFLUENCES THAT LED TO SKIFFLE ...
As noted above, there were a range of influences, many American, which led to British Skiffle -- but let's start with the three blues artists that Francis actually refers to in the script: "Muddy Waters. Robert Johnson. Leadbelly" (Bean, 16)
... and then, of course, the jug bands ...
EARLY U.K. SKIFFLE ...
The song often credited as the granddaddy of the Skiffle wave in Britain was "Rock Island Line," performed by Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group. The three member band (bass, washboard, and Lonnie on guitar and vocals) brought this American country-blues-flavored hit to England, inspiring a nation of young musicians to forgo large jazz bands with expensive instruments in favor of three-chords and minimal instrumentation that allowed for anyone to grab a couple of friends and form a basement band. Tea chest/washtub basses, washboards, homemade jaw harps, and basic dimestore acoustic guitars were all that was needed to be part of this exciting new wave. Groups like The Vipers and the City Ramblers Skiffle Group were soon to follow...
Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group - Rock Island Line (1956)
LATER SKIFFLE ACTS ...
As often seems to happen with movements of "simplicity" (see alterno-folk, punk, grunge, etc. etc.), over time, Skiffle groups became more organized, more virtuostic, and more commercial. The genre became saturated throughout pop culture, advertising agencies became involved, "rural" skiffle fashion gave way to a more urban apperance, and more expensive (and often electrical) instruments began appearing on stage. Below are clips from The Washboard Rhythm Gang (featured in a 1959 German film) and a later Lonnie Donegan performance from 1960.
THE TRANSITION FROM SKIFFLE TO "BEAT" TO ROCK AND ROLL ...
1963 largely spelled the end of the Skiffle movement as a generation of young musicians moved to "Beat Music." Obviously, the Beatles are the most famous example of this change as they dominiated the 1963 music charts, but they were far from alone -- such as the Dominos Skiffle Group who changed their name to "the Beats" around 1960, and released this gem at their height in '63 :
The Beat Boys - That's My Plan (released 1963)
For MUCH more on this change from Skiffle to Beat/Rock and Roll, and to really appreciate the moment in 1963 when this play takes place, be sure to check out the "Britain, 1963" dramaturgy page HERE.
if you haven't read about Panto and its influence on OMTG yet, bet sure to visit HERE.
MUSIC & PANTO
The two most important aspects here to recognize are Panto's ability to be "plays with songs" rather than "musicals" (as certainly fits OMTG), and Panto meta-theatrical habit of performing songs for the audience in a presentational, direct-address fashion (like a concert) rather than in a musical theatre or operatic fashion (i.e., pretending the audience isn't there). Just two quick examples ...
... and THIS, the holy grail of tasteless, over-the-top, meta-theatrical, slapstick, stock character, extremely British, direct-address, and PERFECT for understanding the British comic flair in OMTG--I present to you a song from the "Sinderella" Panto!