Eavesdropping on conversations at the pub exposes hopes and fears.

Graham Macdonell and Cassandra Wilson. Photo by Andrew Maguire Photography.

TWO written by Jim Cartwright, performed by Tread the Boards at The Attic Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 15 - 24 May 2026.  Directed by Ash Bayliss.

Review by Charles Essex

The landlord and landlady (Graham Macdonell and Cassandra Wilson) are genial and full of bonhomie in their northern pub in a working-class area, but the affability and banter quickly dissipate as they fire sharp barbs at each other.  They take us into their confidence as they berate each other behind each other’s backs.  The friction between them is uncomfortable, as we have close up views, effectively sitting in the bar of the very authentic set.

We meet 14 of their customers, each distinctly portrayed by Graham and Cassandra as they take on the different personas, mostly with palpable realism.  Moth is a slacker and a scrounger, while Maudy is his too needy girlfriend.  Graham portrayed Moth’s narcissism and selfishness, contrasting with Cassandra’s depiction of the woefully needy Maudy.

Cassandra Wilson. Photo by Andrew Maguire Photography.

Cassandra switched effortlessly to the ball-breaker who fantasised about big strong men, while treating her small unassertive husband with disdain.  Graham’s body language and gestures conveyed his small stature and ineffectualness.  The most distressing scenario, other than the final scene, involved Ray, the coercive and controlling and abusive husband and his fearful wife, who walked on eggshells as a wrong answer, indeed almost any answer, brought threats of violence.  These were Graham’s and Cassandra’s best alter ego portrayals of the evening because of their frightening realism.  While smiling amiably at people around him that he knew, Ray was a simmering, threatening presence, as Cassandra was the epitome of the petrified abused wife.

Some of the other customers, such as the elderly man who still saw his dead wife and became aroused, and the old woman hoping for an end for her and her disabled husband, were less convincing where the script was either less poignant or humorous, and the energy and tempo faltered.  The husband and wife in cowboy hats were oddballs but were the only couple who genuinely seemed happy together.

Another top-notch Attic Production. Photo by Andrew Maguire Photography.

 There was a touching scene in which Graham was a small boy whose father had left him outside the pub with a comic and crisps and forgotten him, so the boy wandered into the pub to find him.  The boy hinted at unhappiness in the family home, and Cassandra as the landlady movingly showed a maternal sensitivity.

The crux of the play came in the last scene.  The pub was closed, the customers had left, the landlord and landlady were tidying up, and there was a truly heartrending confrontation between them.  No spoilers but it revealed the longstanding source of the conflict, the inability to verbalise and discuss their feelings, the wrongly assumed blame.  Both actors gave exceptional renditions, portrayed with profound emotional intensity.

While some of the scenes could be sharpened up or trimmed, this was another top-notch Attic production with great performances by the two actors.

Tickets from www.theattictheatre.co.uk