Two is a very unusual play. Performed in the bar of the Greenwich Theatre, which has been turned into a local pub for Jim Cartwright’s show. It’s a two-hander with Kellie Shirley and Peter Caulfield playing a total of 14 roles. They start as the landlord and landlady, welcoming everyone in on a standard night in their pub. This is not a West End wine bar but a standard local in a working-class district. The landlord and his wife are instantly recognisable, all smiles, flirting and joking for the customers – especially the stag party that pops in as part of their pub crawl – and bickering with each other behind the bar. A fairly standard pub. Except, there is an undercurrent of something more between the two of them. Still, whatever is going on, the pub is open, and a wide variety of customers come and go. Nobody necessarily knows who they are or anything really about them, even the regulars beyond what they project and how they behave in the pub, but that doesn’t matter, the drinks are flowing and the till is ringing so the management are happy(ish). Then, just as the pub is closing, a young boy comes in looking for his father, a simple thing that sets off a chain reaction for the host and his lady wife.
Two is a seriously good piece of writing. Jim Cartwright has created 14 characters, all of whom feel just right for the sort of pub in which the production is set. From the landlord via an old woman escaping her caring duties once a day, to a lad on the make and his devoted girlfriend, literally all human life is there and each one is so well drawn that even though their individual scenes were short, the audience knew them and more importantly believed in them.
Great writing in this case, and then the actors were added. Kellie Shirley and Peter Caulfield are absolutely brilliant in Two. Whether acting individually or together, they really deliver. Whether a regular or a pop-in. Every character is different and every character lives in the pub. You got a real feel for the depth of the characters at the start of the second act, where, no spoilers, you could feel the genuine hate and loathing coming from the audience to one of Caulfield’s characters. The next minute, he’s back as the landlord and everyone loves him again. Honestly, from both actors, this was some of the best character acting I’ve seen in a long time. Setting the action in a real bar is a great idea and enables Director James Haddrell to move people about in a natural way so that – thanks to some impressive quick changes – as the landlady goes outside to collect glasses, a female customer can walk in.
Two is an impressive tour de force of writing and acting. The story is darker in the second act than in the first, but it is full of great humour and emotional moments throughout. The overarching landlord/landlady story works well between the individual character scenes, and its emotional resolution feels just right. A perfect night for me.
Review by Terry Eastham
Behind the bar of their South London pub, the Landlord and Landlady welcome their regulars with open arms. Lending an ear for stories of celebration, of loss, of love and of despair, the bickering couple work together to keep the locals in high spirits – with drinks, conversation and laughter. But what is their story? As a lost boy turns up on their doorstep looking for his Dad, the couple must confront their own demons and perhaps, for the first time in years, talk to each other…
Starring Kellie Shirley and Peter Caulfield
TWO
By Jim Cartwright
Greenwich Theatre
21 August to 21 September 2025
