Two

RAODS, Green Room Studio, Plaza Theatre, Romsey

Jim Cartwright's 1989 play begins with a romping double act – the landlord and landlady of a Northern pub (Beverly Siddle and Neil Gwynne) - gamely exchanging insults, serving and playing a variety of customers that supposedly give a realistic view of “working class life”.

After providing some humorous but rather bitter views of married relationships (most vividly by Siddle's portrayal of a downtrodden wife and Gwynne's of a domineering, unpredictable husband), the play focusses on the tension at the root of the publicans' antipathy, rather predictably but, such is the quality of the acting in this production, quite movingly, with a final note of resolution.

Director Lyn Butcher is well supported by her cast who, together with discreet but effectively deployed offstage speeches and background crowd noises (sound by Chris Moses and Harry Andreou), enables the audience to regard the studio stage as a fully occupied and busy pub.

Ham Quentin