TWO

Park Theatre

Playing until 25th April 2026

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Photo credit: Ross Kernaha

{PR Gifted ticket}

Husband (Peter Caulfield) and wife (Kellie Shirley) run a local British pub, northern and hardworking people dealing with their own problems and listening to the stories of those that step inside their abode. They interact with regulars and strangers, the joyful and the depressed, and everything in between. They are part of these people’s stories, but also quiet bystanders to their narratives as they watch these people come and go, rarely making a dent on these people’s lives.

Jim Cartright’s script instils realism to the lives of the couple that own the pub and the people that step through their front door. The stage designed by Jana Lakatos includes a working bar with glasses dotted throughout in small table cabaret style, the set immediately immerses the audience into a friendly and all too familiar environment before the show begins.

The pub owners are witty, entertaining and throw jabs at each other as they speak to the audience, becoming the very personification of the pub staff that many, if not all of us have interacted with at some point in life. It is important to note that the landlord and lady of the pub remain nameless throughout, perhaps another attempt to highlight the fact that while they have their own stories, their struggles and routines are fundamentally similar to many pub owners and communities.

Despite the fluid and reasonably engaging delivery, for a play that reflects people from all different walks of life, there is very little direct interaction with audience members. Instead of attempting to create some level of spontaneity based on the audience every night, the play leans on pre-scripted dialogues spoken towards the direction of audience members instead, which somewhat dampens the immersiveness of the premise. Cartright’s script has planted seeds of more deep-rooted issues between the pub owners, suggesting tension between the two. Instead of gradually pulling at the threads to further build upon this, the audience is given a rather abrupt sign of it at the end of Act I without much context before it fully explodes at the end of Act II. In my opinion, this felt rushed in the final five to ten minutes of the play, reducing the potential for an emotional reaction to this sudden revelation.

Caulfield and Shirley take on the many characters throughout the course of this show (14 to be exact), each with their own personality and narratives to tell. There are people of all ages from all walks of life, the elderly, young lovers, an abusive and controlling partner, and many more. Under the direction of James Haddrell, TWO tests the versatility and adaptability of the actors to the extreme. In each case, the transition between scenes feels slick, and by embedding these different characters among the audience, the pub is quite literally populated and filled throughout, preventing the sense of emptiness in most cases.

However, that is not to say the sense of isolation and loneliness could not be achieved when the narrative calls for it. This is best highlighted when a young female customer who is evidently emotionally and physically abused by her partner enters the pub. She is seated in a corner table to create space from the rest of the audience, the quietness is deafening and the character’s nervousness palpable in the air.

Exploring what appear to be mundane, routine and quintessential community life within a local pub. TWO creates visual and direct personifications of the local people, prompting and encouraging people to be more attentive to the people that frequent public houses, where, if you listen closely enough, might just discover the most fascinating stories or extend a hand to people in need of help.

Creatives

Writer: Jim Cartwright

Director: James Haddrell

Designer: Jana Lakatos