Punchy Pub Play Moves First Night Audience to Tears

Susan Stanley-Carroll impressed with Maverick Theatre's Two


Greg Snowden and Claire Louise Amias 'a dynamic and dextrous cast of two'

April 15, 2023

Where will you find a pub with a theatre? Where a pub, with a play being performed that is about a pub? Yes, of course, in the middle of Chiswick’s Bedford Park!

Here we find “Two” by Jim Cartwright and you can buy tickets to watch it until 29 April. Be prepared to walk into a pub bar in a theatre and to even sit in the bar, while the action revolves around you. It’s ok, as you will not be expected to participate! However, a big hint: do take a drink with you as otherwise you will be thirsty listening to the Landlord and Landlady dolling out orders for pints of bitter.

“Two”, is a classic Northern, two hander drama written in 1988. It was from the start a huge success and during the last thirty years has been regularly revived. Now The Maverick Theatre Company has brought it to Chiswick: however, it may or may not be your ‘pint of bitter’!

Two charismatic actors, Claire Louise Amias and Gregg Snowden superbly play the bickering Landlord and Landlady. Their faultless performances are outstanding: they deftly switch from one contrasting roll to another. Sometimes as a duologue and other times as a monologue.

Every so often Claire or Gregg leave their ‘pub’ and return as one of the regular customers: wee vignettes of a diverse range of people, some amusing others pathetic or deeply unhappy. For instance, the coercive controlling husband, Roy, and his cowering pregnant wife, Lesley, caused shock waves to flow from the audience, but, the old man dreaming about his beloved late wife, was an antidote to that bitter, marital incident.

The actors deftly switch between contrasting roles in Jim Cartwright's Two
The actors deftly switch between contrasting roles in Jim Cartwright's Two

Eventually the entrance of a child causes ‘Him and Her’ to confront their own shared and personal demons. Deeply moving and exquisitely played causing another emotional reaction from the audience. (Do bring your tissues).

My friend also found that sitting on the stage within the pub’s boundaries hammered home the poignancy of several dramatised scenarios particularly the above example of coercive control. (You have been warned)!

Once again Chiswick’s own Theatre at the Tabard hits another high with its dynamic and dextrous cast of two. Richard Woolnough’s seamless and innovative direction that was supported by Sandra Szaron’s smooth lighting and sound effects enacted on a set that would grace any 1980’s pub.

Well done, too, to Nick Hennegan and the Maverick Theatre Company a group that we will surely see again at the Theatre at the Tabard. Thank you Simon and Sarah Reilly for keeping theatre vibrant and alive in Chiswick’s West End.

Susan Stanley-Carroll

Every Tuesday there will be a free Talkback session at the Tabard with the cast and crew after the show.

Two runs from 12 to 29 April and tickets cost £18 or £15 for concession. The approximate running time is 90 minutes including an interval.

You can book all productions online on the Tabard Theatre web site or call the box office on 020 8995 6035 (leave a message if you can’t get through and your call will be returned).

Theatre at the Tabard is at 2 Bath Road, Chiswick (W4 1LW).

 

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.