Two

Two … a play staged by Wigan Little Theatre at Wigan Little Theatre, Compton Street, Wigan on Friday, 6th September 2024

Two is a thought-provoking comedy drama penned by the award-winning Lancastrian playwright Jim Cartwright. The entire production is concentrated into one night in the bar of a typical Northern Pub where the bickerings of the landlord and landlady are always to the fore!   It's the kind of pub where everybody knows your name, and even if they're not really glad to see you, you're still greeted like an old friend. This familiarity extends to everybody in the pub that night - including YOU... the audience...  “PS… shy types should be beware of booking seats on the front row”. As the title suggests, it’s a two-hander, those two-actors creating/representing fourteen diverse characters all of whom we sit down with and over a ‘glass or two’ we are let into their lives.  But, after every introduction, the story always returns to the two!  The play has a ‘painful story’ underpinning everything that slowly unfolds around the landlord and landlady… but you’ll need to see it to understand the truth!

Production Team … I’m always amazed when just two actors can come together and ‘hold an audience’ for a couple of hours … it happened again here tonight!  The experienced Tara Haywood (Director) was the one tasked with guiding us through this supposedly normal evening in a typically Northern Pub in the 1980’s with all its comings and goings!  In Tara’s programme notes, she praises the work ethic of her two charges … but, having now seen the play, I think a great deal of praise should sit firmly on Tara’s shoulders. There appeared to be this thread running through the entire play, a thread that ‘sort of linked’ everything together through movement ... it’s hard to explain or put into words... but I liked it!  The thread, somehow created a flow to the play and that just doesn’t happen!  I would also suggest that Tara had many more hurdles and obstacles to consider and overcome including scene change timing to allow for costume changes, plus entrance and exit points …  it all worked really well… be proud Tara great job!  

The Cast … our two actors were Chris Boyle and Cathy Owen (Landlord / Landlady respectively) … two actors on top of their game, who between them portrayed fourteen different characters …
Chris played … The Landlord, an Old Man, Moth, Mr Iger, Roy, Fred and a Boy.
Cathy played… The Landlady, an Old Lady, Maudie, Mrs Iger, Lesley, Alice and a Woman.
This type of production, affords an actor the opportunity to showcase their acting abilities and both Chris and Cathy took that opportunity with both hands and did just that!  Portraying a myriad of characters, all with different accents, styles, traits, and personalities, both grabbed the opportunity with both hands and with energy, commitment and passion, knock their roles out the park … be very proud!
Chris Boyle did a great job, especially with his humour and physical comedy.  His storytelling and his audience interaction were funny and his ability to characterise his different characters, making them all unique, was amazing! Great stage presence, great diction and articulation with some great accents... no mikes on show ... but I heard every word... be very proud Chris great job!
Cathy Owen was a great counterpart to Chris and gave us her everything and more!  Confident, assured, Cathy had great energy, her commitment and her great storytelling are fine attributes!  Loved her characters ... all different and again unique!  Cathy is blessed with great stage presence, her mannerisms and facial expressions were so loud, spoke volumes without her saying a word!  Had a brilliant rapport with Chris as did Chris with Cathy, both bringing so much attention to detail ... be ever so proud Cathy!

As I said previously, there were some fabulous characters created... but as is the ‘norm’ with most of MY review, I’m never one to ‘sit on the fence’, I’d like, if I may, to select my two favourite scenes and their characters ...
- First choice was the couple ‘Moth and Maudie’ our fabulous ‘Scousers’ ... OMG I laughed, laughed and laughed some more, this was such a hilarious scene. Moth, a bit of a ladies' man or so he thinks, enters the pub and immediately starts flirting with the ladies including a couple of audience members, much to the dismay of Maudie. He asks her for money for drinks and Maudie realises that she has to ‘get some strength’ and eventually walks out the bar! On her return, Moth tries to ‘get round her’ by putting his last 10p in the Juke Box so they can dance, his ‘back’ goes, she now feels she has the upper hand and tells him to make an honest woman of her - he hugs her but as they stagger out... he ‘eyes up’ yet another woman or two - oh well…. hilariously funny throughout!

- Second choice, for polar opposite reasons... I’ve chosen ‘Roy and Lesley’ husband and wife… this was a dark and sinister encounter!  Roy enters bar babbling on about various things and Lesley excuses herself and she goes to the toilet. When Lesley returns, what appears to be an amusing chat starts to take place, which soon turns into something very different!  Roy gets angry, Lesley retaliates and storms off... only to return to ask for the key. Roy tries to ‘soft soap’ her, but then, out the blue... Roy hits her across the face … the ripples reverberated around the audience … an OMG moment!  
Both scenes, very different, both acted to perfection and brilliantly orchestrated ... be very proud!

Staging/Set/Tech... as always here at Wigan Little Theatre, attention to detail is always evident and this staging was no different. John Dudley/Joey Wiswell (Stage Managers); Tara Heywood / Brian Heap (Set Design), John Churnside, Dave Flannagan, Gary Hill, Brian Heap, Kevin Fairhurst, Phil Wood and Steven Gamble (Set Construction) and Christine Armstrong, Maureen Schofield, Patricia Ashurst, Veronica Teesdale, Val Miller, Marie Mayer, Barbara Rimmer and Rhiannon Roberts (Set Painting) ... were responsible for this great authentic looking bar, with optics and beer pumps visible at rear centre... tables at chairs and entry/exit points on both sides of bar... looked good, used well and afforded the two actors everything they needed and more!  Lighting/Sound was first rate under the watchful eye of Mel Meadows, Rachel Ariel Taylor, Kim Brown, Will Mulhearn, Jacob Lathom, Becky Hampson, Brian Kendrick, Michael Deveraux, Archie Bromilow and Alicia Clarke … well done each and all!

Costumes … all the costumes used looked authentic and of the period and enhanced the production and were looked after by Stacey Vernon and the cast themselves

Props… were used well throughout the production, again authentic and enhanced the play ... keeping an eye on them we had Elaine Delaney, Patricia Ashurst, Anne Martin and Mary Delaney-Yates.

Another great play staged here at Wigan… thank you so much for inviting my wife and I, we both thoroughly enjoyed our evening and can’t wait to be back on the 20th to see WLT Youth do their thing!

Stay safe, keep well…
‘Stronger Together’

Jim Briscoe
NODA NW
District 6 Rep

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