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Two, Lichfield Garrick Studio
May 2 2008 By Roger Clarke
PUBS are strange places where inhibitions are lost, secrets hidden and good times are had by at least some of the characters who inhabit the local in the mind of playwright Jim Cartwright.
We have the jealous wife beater, the old lady waiting to die, the womaniser, the widower and a whole range of assorted humanity who pass in and out of the bickering life of the publican and his wife.
Instead of a cast of thousands, though, all 14 characters in this excellent Garrick Rep production are played by Mark Jardine and Janet Bamford telling tales which are at times sad, often funny and sometimes uncomfortably real.
A clever set and intelligent direction by Alasdair Harvey helped but it was the powerful acting which made this a memorable performance as the duo switched seamlessly between roles, slowly building to a raw, emotional end.
The production ends tomorrow and returns for a further week on May 19.