Philip Murray Warson talks to Katherine MacAlister about the thrill of appearing in the hit tour de farce

Philip Murray Warson’s pivotal moment came while playing guitar on stage in Australia, midway through the global One Man, Two Guvnors tour.

The 23-year-old just looked around and thought: “‘How did I get here? This is ridiculous.”

Not that the Bicester-born lad had a plan. Yes, he had enrolled on The National Youth Theatre programme and yes, he was a fantastic musician, particularly where skiffle was concerned.

But to be picked for such a momentous role in one of the most successful West End shows of recent times, and then flown around the world to appear on global stages, was still quite something.

“It was pretty glamorous,” he admits, “so when the opportunity came along I grabbed it with both hands. Well, you would . . .”

Now on the second leg of the tour, “we put the band back together for this, like Jake and Elwood,” Phil has now reached the grand old age of 25, and is “more seasoned now,” he tells me.

But he still remembers seeing One Man, Two Guvnors on his 22nd birthday and thinking “‘I’d love to be in that, I wonder how you go about it?’ A year later I was in it.”

It means he knows the songs he plays “inside out but we still go for it on stage” where he remains throughout the show as the lead singer on acoustic guitar, dressed in his early 60s maroon suit, quiff and Buddy Holly glasses, thin black tie in place.

“It’s been quite a hard graft because we are coming to the end of a really long tour, so it’s been a huge trek. But there are four of us in the band and we get on as well off stage as we do on. We are great mates so it’s always a great opportunity to hang out,” he says.

If you haven’t heard of it, One Man, Two Guvnors, which originally featured James Corden, tells the hilarious story of Francis Henshall who, when fired from his skiffle band, becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe.

But Roscoe is really Rachel, posing as her own dead brother – who’s been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers. A unique, laugh-out-loud mix of satire, songs, farce, slapstick and glittering one-liners, that’s still selling out.

“One Man has been phenomenally successful and hilariously funny and I didn’t expect that.

“You see people in the audience beside themselves, uncomfortable from laughing so much. Very few shows have that effect. And the show is so good and consistent that it’s funny every night and doesn’t suffer from not having James Corden in it any more. It stands up on its own.”

In between tours, Philip didn’t keep his feet on the ground, nipping off to perform a few solo gigs, a quick appearance at The National Theatre, a stint in Romeo and Juliet, and a part in a 24-hour play at The Old Vic, before signing up for a second innings.

So if this wasn’t his plan, what was? “I didn’t think about music and theatre as a career option, it was just something I have always done,” he tells me.

Oxford Mail:
Philip Murray Warson in One Man, Two Guvnors

“My mum is a professor, lecturer, music teacher, choral director and string player and my dad has got an excellent taste in music and got me into all the music that’s relevant for this show. I went to Bicester Community College, then uni and intended to be a war journalist. Otherwise I’ve been concentrating on my own music.”

Spotted at the National Youth Theatre and plucked from obscurity, Phil is now performing to thousands of people every night. And yet appearing at the New Theatre will still be a night to remember?

“I saw Ray Davies and The Kinks there when I was 14,“ he laughs, “but this is the first time I will have performed in a venue where I used to be a punter, so I’m looking forward to getting up there and doing my thing.”

SEE IT
One Man, Two Guvnors comes to the New Theatre Oxford on February 24 – 28. 
Call 0844 8713020 or see atgtickets.com/oxford
Philip’s own music can be heard at soundcloud.com