Madeleine Burton reviews The Maltings Theatre's special double bill of 'Beginning' and 'Middle' by critically acclaimed British dramatist and screenwriter David Eldridge.
In the Beginning is a man and a woman and in Middle the same man and woman – and that is what makes the current production by OVO so remarkable.
For even though these are two standalone plays by David Eldridge, albeit with some points of crossover, they are performed by the same two actors.
And I would be hugely surprised if many other repertory companies could tackle such demanding roles as those undertaken by Mat Betteridge and Emma Wright at the Maltings Theatre in St Albans.
The duo, who play Danny and Laura in Beginning and Gary and Maggie in Middle, are on stage with no other support for a total of nearly three hours on the two nights in which OVO puts on back-to-back plays.
They more than deserve the standing ovations they have been receiving for their incredible performances.
Theirs is a ground-breaking achievement for provincial theatre and it is no surprise that even the playwright has nothing but praise for OVO for putting on the two plays for the first time outside their original runs at the National Theatre.
Director Adam Nichols consolidates his growing reputation with both plays.
In Beginning we meet Danny and Laura in her Crouch End flat at the end of a housewarming party.
She is determined he should stay the night, he is more unsure and disguises his fears with jokily telling her about his mum and nan, his dislike of untidiness, and his support for West Ham.
A good five minutes is given over to the couple tidying up the party detritus with black bin bags but even that makes compelling viewing.
As the night progresses, the conversation becomes much more serious but the couple still manage to imbue it with a lightness of touch that makes it the funnier of the two plays.
Middle, on the other hand, finds Mat and Emma in far more serious mode as Gary and Maggie who have been married for many years.
As she announces she no longer loves him, his jokey retorts turn to pleading with her to stay and trying to get to the bottom of what has gone wrong.
It is slightly jarring when she admits to having an affair because it has already been gradually emerging that the faultlines in their marriage go far deeper than that.
In both plays, performed in the round, you really do feel you are eavesdropping on each couple, no small achievement for both actors and director.
Beginning and Middle are outstanding productions and Mat Betteridge and Emma Wright give sensational performances.
Catch at least one of the plays if you can – the second back-to-back performance is on Saturday, October 15 but they can be seen singly throughout this week.
Tickets and further information can be obtained from ovo.org.uk
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