'Two' & 'Bed'

by Jim Cartwright

'Jim Cartwright is one of the mavericks of British theatre' Daily Telegraph


Two : 'A sharp, salty, quickfire evocation of the surface gaiety and underlying melancholia of English pub life.' The Guardian



Bed : 'It's insights into the twilight world of old age are remarkable, Cartwright's ode to sleep fizzes with puns and free association and brims with the confidence of a craftsman who can work as happily with surrealism as naturalism as he teases out snippets of life story from the ancient occupants of the bed.' City Limits



'This extraordinarily gifted and original voice . . . populates the space with broad humour, dry wit and often shudderingly moving poetry.' Time Out

Genres: Plays, Theatre

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Charlotte Mansergh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ for ‘Two’
1 ⭐️ for ‘Bed’

[Hannah Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two is honestly amazingly written that it shattered my heart . As someone who has had to deal with grief from a young age, having to grow up in a life evolved around grief the play really made my heart burst ! With very heavy topics and explicit content the characters depth and naturalism is so well written! Wish I could read and watch this for the first time all over again it truly is a masterpiece!

[Catrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

rated 4 stars because i love odd theatre but two has caused me so much pain last year working in a group and bed will probs make me tear my hair out in he next few weeks trying to come up with a set design for it.

[Jon Chater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two is a quality play. The characters are so detailed and engaging from the violent abusive relationship that shocks to the charming older couple discussing how fat a cowboy is in a long gone movie. This intertwined by the the only consistent of the landlord and landlady and their relationship which is slowly revealed.
On first instances you may think a play about characters in a pub be boorish and predictable. It is a funny, sad, heartwarming and a stunning play.

[Ike Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed performing "Two". It is a play set in a pub with several male and female characters intended to be played by just one female and one male cast. I performed 7 male characters including a little boy left behind by his drunk old dad. The play culminates in the revelation of a past tragedy involving the ever bickering landlord and landlady.

[EJ Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Two" (Not yet read "Bed") - the play's story about what's going on around in the pub. 14 different characters' conversation throughout their lives; affair; argue net between womaniser-man and his girlfriend, also death. If as it made me feel like I was in the pub, watch/listen their lives/dramas went on.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

MAY 2015:
I still love the depth of the characters & relationship, and I still find the mystery behind their attitudes great. However, now having studied this play so much for Drama it seems very dry.

OCTOBER 2013:
I enjoyed this play & found the characters very interesting. It was great to perform!

[Melissa Sibley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult-to-tackle themes are dealt with artfully in this black comedy duo. Wasn't entirely fond of 'Bed'; whilst the abstract poetic style was interesting, and there were some beautiful sections, a lot of it was quite dull and cryptic for no apparent reason. 'Two', however, is chuckle-inducing, tear-jerking and thought-provoking. Can't wait to perform in a staging of this play in a month.

[Victoria Roe (Reading Addict) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love his writing