Drama combines comedy and pathos

TWO actors have taken on the challenge of playing all 14 characters in the Sinodun Players’ spring drama Two at the Wallingford Corn Exchange, writes Carol Evans.

Ginny Avery and John Jones play everyone from the bickering landlord and landlady of a convivial north of England pub to the stream of regulars who pop in for a drink.

Written by Jim Cartwright, the play is an absorbing drama that combines comedy and pathos as glimpses into each character’s life are revealed. This allows both actors the chance to show their versatility in a number of differing roles.

Among the characters are a lonely widower, an ageing wife with a bedridden husband and a domineering woman and her meek husband. There’s also an aggressive husband with a mousey wife, plus a seven-year-old boy left behind by his forgetful dad.

At the play’s core is the relationship between the characters known only as the Landlord and the Landlady. During the course of the evening, highlighted by their interaction with the other characters, the reason for their constant sniping becomes apparent. But once the problem is out in the open, can they be reconciled?



As a trained actress and a professional voice coach, Ginny Avery is relishing the chance to play so many roles in one production.

She said: “I love the challenge of creating all these characters, finding their subtleties and what makes them tick, their little nuances that make them become real. Every one is a totally different character. They all have a different agenda and react to life in completely different ways.”

Two is at the Wallingford Corn Exchange from Wednesday, April 13, to Saturday, April 16, showing at 7.45pm each night. Tickets are priced £10 and can be booked by calling (01491) 825000 or visiting the website www.cornexchange.org.uk