Two Can Play

by Trevor Rhone
Directed by ahdri zhina mandiela

Notes from the Director
in this two-hander, one of rhone’s latest work, set in a decidedly turbulent era of jamaica’s political growth, there are some creative imperatives which will be missed and or glossed over when using the full throttle comic prism. this ‘spectacle’ may prove more deceptive than it is inviting, despite its sporting air of ‘been there’, its invite of a quick laugh, and its beckoning sense of: ‘me know exactly what he’s talking bout!’.
because/yes we do… for the most part. the language may be mostly if not totally, familiar; the events which encroach on this couple’s life unforgettable; the political tension now history… well-documented; the barred up living situation barely escapable; and the pulsing wind of change blowin hard and still echoing, ‘bettah mus come’. but it’s the personal and commingled journey inside this inner city kingston house which must ultimately grab focus. it’s the excursion upside the craggy rocks where this couple’s two hearts has been beating as one within a twenty odd year union. here/where a staunch caribbean creature of the male persuasion persists on bending no boughs. this subtly crystal/hidden charting of a man’s journey toward change, by an obviously knowledgeable, lived in the skin, and fully empathetic man is the cachet of the game.