Two: A solid production about human frailty

Think of ordinary folk at a local pub in northern England in the vein of Coronation Street or The Eastenders.

As the (unnamed) landlord and landlady bicker between serving assorted regulars on a busy night, the audience meets the customers through a series of vignettes. As directed by John P. Kelly, who breaks down the fourth wall by having some audience members seated at cocktail tables on stage, the audience is pulled into a kaleidoscope of short character sketches about human frailty. Alongside the occasional happy thought, they are presented with a series of images of drudgery, disease, domestic abuse and loneliness, even a child left behind when his drunken father forgets him outside the pub.

All 14 characters in Two are played by the publicans, who find various excuses to leave the stage and return in a new guise for the next segment.

By the end of the first act, the tragedy that is destroying the pub owners’ marriage is clear. Eventually, they confront the issue and each other and move towards resolution. But the pattern of sketches/skits/monologues used to display the customers between the mock cheeriness and real anger of the publicans becomes somewhat tedious, despite swift character development from Michelle LeBlanc and Richard Gêlinas.

The single scene that is most effective is the depiction of an abusive relationship. The strength of this sequence, together with the final confrontation, gives Two the requisite substance, while much of the rest is too slight to be memorable.

Two continues at the Gladstone to January 31, 2015.

 

Two

By Jim Cartwright

100 Monkeys, Gladstone Theatre

Director: John P. Kelly

Set and lighting: David Magladry

Sound: Stewart Matthews

No credit for costume design given.

 

Cast:

Richard Gêlinas and Michelle LeBlanc