Review of TWO at the Royal Exchange

Thu, 2 Feb 2012

TWO: Royal Exchange until February 25

Just over a year ago, when comedian Justin Moorhouse was asked to star in the Royal Exchange's production of Zack, he freely admitted to being utterly terrified  - or slightly more graphic words to that effect! To have come from that to playing one of  the leads in Two is quite a feat, given that the male in Jim Cartwright's classic two-hander has to play no less than seven parts in a little over ninety minutes. 

For anyone unfamiliar with the play, it's set in "a local pub. A while ago" wherein the Landlord and Landlady, each locked in their own tragedy, encourage a motley crew of locals, all played by the principals,  to "sup, sip and swig" as the evening continues, building towards the inevitable confrontation between the pair of them. 

Justin, a likeable and familiar figure from his live stand-up, pulls off the emotional quick-changes with some aplomb although it seems that he feels more comfortable with the jokier characters such as Moth, the would-be Manchester Lothario, than with the menacing woman-hater Roy. North East actress Victoria Elliott is rather more of an unknown quantity, but impressive nonetheless, deftly handling the humour and the tragedy in her own seven transformations from the resentful landlady to the put-upon Maudie, the menaced Lesley and the raunchy “lover of big men” Mrs. Iger.

In a fine production, directed by Greg Hersov, what impresses the most remains Cartwright's language and characters, inhabited and delivered here by a pair of very good actors.