THEATER REVIEW: “Two” @ None Too Fragile by Roy Berko

 

Through Fri 3/31

Jim Cartwright, the author of Two, which is getting an outstanding production at none too fragile theater, is an English dramatist who writes about the lives of the working classes. His style of writing is often compared to that of Anton Chekov because of the poetic lyricism of his narration. He has the ability to dig into angst and also inject humor in the most tragic of situations, whether he is describing starvation, domestic violence, the death of a child or cancer.

Cartwright examines the themes of the “individual within versus the community; the nature and power of memory; and oneself as one’s own worst enemy.” His style often has a narrator setting the scene, introducing characters, and providing social and political comments, while remaining in character. His plays, as evidenced in Two, commonly are a series of vignettes interspersed with monologues, which take the form of a stream of consciousness.

Two, which is funny as well as heartbreaking, takes place on one night in a pub in northern England. Two actors play 14 characters who reveal a cross-section of the pub’s town. As the scenes unfold the pub’s patrons down liquid refreshment and munch on chips as they tell of their dreams, ambitions, desires, disappointments and frustrations.

We meet the pub’s owners, a bickering husband and wife, and a range of characters whose tales take us on a rollercoaster ride of emotional highs and lows. The pub guests vary from a small, meek man who is controlled by his wife, a male who does not speak but interacts with the proprietors, to an abusive husband and his terrified wife.

And so it goes until a young boy is left alone by his father and is mothered by the Landlady. When the father returns, and the boy exits, we quickly realize the trauma that the departure has on the woman. Raw feelings erupt between the barkeeps and an incident that shattered this couple is revealed.

The play finishes with the lines: Landlord: “I love you.” Landlady: “I love you too.” But is that their real feeling? And how long will the truce last?

Derdriu Ring and David Peacock are nothing short of marvelous as the pub keepers and the many characters they portray. The accents, the levels of emotions and the completely believable characters that are created, are all meticulously done. These are award-winning portrayals.

As has come to be expected, Sean Derry’s direction is spot on. The pacing and the keying of laughs and angst, are etched with care and purpose.

Capsule judgment: Two proves once again that none too fragile is the consistently best off-off Broadway theater in the Greater Cleveland area. The quality of play choices, the prime acting and the spot-on directing make going to this venue a theatrical wonder.  

For tickets for Two which runs through Fri 3/31 call 330-671-4563 or go to nonetoofragile.com

[Written by Roy Berko, Member, American Theatre Critics Association, Cleveland Critics Circle]

Akron, OH 44313

 

 

 

 

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