Last night was blumming fantastic! At the last minute we were able to get a baby sitter (joyful dance!) and use the time for a date night out for Mr Smith and I. It couldn’t have been spent in a better way really, as we had the absolute pleasure of being in the audience of the quirky and wonderful comedy drama TWO, at Hull Truck Theatre. As soon as I got wind of this one, I knew I wanted to share the experience with my Hubs and we had a brilliant night together.
Whilst we didn’t quite “pull up a bar stool” to catch the action, we did settle down into our (very comfortable) seats; in what has been designed as an intimate set up all around the stage area (which enables all a great view all round). It is a simple set and stage, but one I really loved and appreciated as it was very creative, well used and there was no denying that you were down the local. Each unique character that turned up, stirred a host of emotions across the theatre and the lighting and music together, held some epic representations of pub life and moments of reminiscence!
It was both the “humour and heartbreak” running through the lives of those who both run the pub and drink there, that appealed to us both and made for a great play to see together for date night. I was glad I saw it with Nathan as some of the banter was just really funny to share in as a married couple and we had many moments where (along with the rest of the audience) we were laughing out loud together (which was so nice). Some of the harder hitting parts (mainly the ending), were sadly relate-able to us as bereaved parents and so I was glad Nathan was with me to journey through that trauma with the characters together. It was so incredibly sad and very hard hitting, and so as a word of caution, if you have any associations to child loss (or domestic violence in parts) then be aware it is quite descriptive and so very emotionally sensitive.
We were really drawn in to this play from start to finish and felt such a mixed bag of emotions throughout it – especially that of empathy. It is a really emotional piece in places, but this is also what made it great. I loved Two and found it so brilliant because it was such a great representation of the real and raw experiences of human beings. But it was also so very funny and cleverly done too. We can both honestly say that it was such a great night – filled with many a laugh and several deep emotional scenes too, as this comedy drama unfurled and left us reflecting on how fragile love and life can be, how resilient human beings are and, how we should never judge – as everyone around us has a story to tell.
Written by award-winning playwright Jim Cartwright (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Road), two incredible actors (Nicola Stephenson and Matthew Wilson) played 14 characters and it was both brilliant and mesmerising. Two is a bittersweet comedy set in a Northern local and it touches on almost every human emotion; laughter, grief, anger, anxiety, love, gratitude, sadness (I could go on)…it is exciting as it is also Hull Truck Theatre’s new co-production with Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough and covers so many hard hitting topics from life and does it in such a marvellous way.
Seeing Two last night has easily been one of the best date nights we have had in a while. I especially loved how in the hustle and bustle of a busy local pub, it draws you into the intimate details of peoples lives. You are drawn in to see pockets of peoples secrets and lives and, you soon discover that in somewhere so public, with so many regulars, there are many a secrets hidden beneath the drink (and behind the bar).
Whatever you feel like ordering at this bar over the next couple of weeks, you best ensure it’s (at least) Two to see Two! It is laugh out loud funny and heart-wrenchingly sad and there would have been no-one else I would have loved to share the experience with than Mr Smith!
TWO runs from 05 Mar – 28 Mar 2020 at Hull Truck Theatre and tickets cost £26 – £10 | Concessions available. It also runs from 31 Mar – 18 Apr 2020 at Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, where tickets cost £28 – £10. Again, Concessions are available.
*We received complimentary tickets for the purpose of this review!
