Mark Stanfield, Richard Short & Barry Sloane
Watford Palace Theatre & The Northern Players Company
HOME, Manchester
September 26-29, 2024; 1hr 50min
Some moments in time are just made to be dramatised. A final meeting between two of the greatest pop musicians the country has ever produced is surely one of them. When you add the detail that the sole surviving icon of the pair has since admitted he regrets not saying "I love you" to the other, it becomes a no-brainer.
That doesn’t, of course, mean that two hours in the company of Paul McCartney and John Lennon will be a stage success. You need a stellar script and two brilliant performances, and for the most part, Two of Us delivers.
The broad brushstrokes characters of the two leading Beatles, and their relationship to each other, are so well-known that the audience does not need much setting up.
Two neat pre-recorded solo "interviews" are projected on to the front curtain before the action begins. Paul amiably working a TV camera while John cerebrally and sarcastically holds forth on the radio.
The pair are estranged. Paul is top of the charts with Wings; John isn’t too impressed with the musical quality of his former bandmate’s new material. John is holed up in his New York apartment, Paul is in town for a gig. The same question haunts them both: will the boys ever get back together?
That’s all you need to know as the lights come up on Amy Jane Cook’s stunning set. Tall white walls, fancy paintings and artsy lamps confirm the Manhattan location.
But all is not pristine. Detritus litters the inevitable grand piano dominating the smoke-filled room. A shaking, on-edge Lennon (Barry Sloane) roams restlessly from the window to the kitchen and the sofa, unable to focus. Until the intercom buzzes.
What follows is a laugh-out loud exchange between two old, and very funny, friends. Has Paul (Jay Johnson) been checked for drugs? When it is confirmed he has, and he has some, he is let in!
Sloane and Johnson are both brilliant as the Beatles legends. Ever so slightly questionable wigs aside. The pair have the accents and mannerisms nailed.
Neither feel the need to unnecessarily fill the pauses. Both take their characters on a physical and emotional journey that is complex and, at the same time, perfectly clear.
The audience is never in doubt that they are in the company of two boys with a whole lot of baggage. Two boys tackling the past, present and future but refusing to ever truly connect, physically and emotionally.
As Lennon, Sloane is satisfyingly stubborn, damaged and wickedly funny. The moments of anger and cynicism mask an emotional intelligence that is heartbreaking to observe, given we know how this character’s story will eventually end.
Johnson is suitably awkward at first, desperate to be adored and willing to breakdown. His piano playing facial expressions are very well observed. Only in the second act, when McCartney’s infamous head wobble goes into overdrive, does he slightly slip into impersonation territory.
Writer Mark Stanfield first penned a screenplay of this story before adapting it for the stage with Richard Short and Sloane himself.
The script allows the play’s stars to spar on family, music, philosophy, happiness and purpose. It is a pleasure to spend some time earwigging on these conversations, but there are a few moments of unwelcome exposition.
Special mention must go to the sound design. Adrienne Quartly has created a brilliantly believable soundscape of music and city hubbub. As the window opens and the noise of workmen and emergency vehicles grows in volume it is never in doubt we are several storeys above the Big Apple’s sidewalks.
Scot Williams’ direction is subtle, but smart. Just as the storytelling becomes ever-so-slightly too comfortable, he moves the action in front of the proscenium arch, removing any barrier between character and audience. These icons are suddenly fragile humans, right in front of us.
That clever touch makes the final moments of glances, guitars and phone calls all the more beautiful. What might have been, yes, but at least we have this beautiful piece of art.
Tickets and information here.
