TWO By Jim Cartwright is the latest play running in the Park Theatre, Park 90 space. TWO has transferred after having a  sell-out run at Greenwich Theatre.

Landlord and Landlady played by Kellie Shirley and Peter Caulfield run a “locals” local pub during the 1980s. The theme track to the play places it firmly in that decade. As the bar opens, they jump into action, serving all their regulars with banter and cheeky comments. As the night draws to a close and tiredness takes hold, a darker side rears its head and tempers flare.

Between Shirley and Caulfield, they play all of the fourteen characters you meet during opening hours. The regulars all have their own back story and are part of the local pubs story. It’s certainly a touch of nostalgia watching TWO. Especially some of the drinks they serve.

One of the scenes that reminded me of that time was when the young lad comes in t look for his Dad, telling the landlady that he last time he had seen his Dad was a couple of hours when he bought him out a can of pop and a packet of crisps. If you were a young child of that generation, this was a familiar “night out” after all babysitters were expensive and nobody was going to report you to social services, as they were doing it to.

My favourite characters during the performance are the couple in the photograph below. No spoiler alerts from me as to why I found them endearing.

At times, the storyline can be triggering. After all, the play is dealing with people’s lives, and that brings with it tragedy, laughter, and darker sides of human nature that we’d rather not acknowledge, especially on a good night out.

James Haddrell‘s direction of Shirley and Caulfield brings together a range of emotional outbursts,  friendship, and banter. Shirley and Caulfield present as an authentic couple who understand one another deeply and like the Landlord and Landlady work brilliantly together to entertain and serve their customers/audiences.

The play is like walking back into my teens. All that was missing was the underage drinkers with fake id, ah good memories. There’s nothing wrong with nostalgia, and TWO delivers it in over the bar in a glass with ir without ice, depending on your tipple.

Five Stars.

Photo credit Ross Kernahan

For more information about TWO and future productions at Park Theatre, please use the link below.

https://parktheatre.co.uk/