Two Can Play

Two Can Play is playing at the Castillo Theater. It runs ninety minutes with one intermission. The play closes on April 5, 2020.

The New York premiere was in 1985.

The time is the 1970’s in Kingston, Jamaica.

Jim (Michael Rogers) and Gloria (Joyce Sylvester) are in bed with the covers over their heads. We hear guns being shot continually. Jim keeps waking up because of the noise. Gloria keeps giving pills to help him sleep.

Jim father lives with them. One-night Jim checks on his father because of the noise outside. He very ill. Because of the curfew he can’t take him to a doctor and he can’t get a doctor to come to the house. He dies.

Jim expects Gloria to wait on him. He does nothing to help her.

They have sent their children to the United States. One son has three jobs the other is in school. Their third child a daughter is there too. Jim and Gloria sent them there to be safe.

Jim is trying to figure out how they can get out of the country. The safest way is for Gloria is to divorce Jim and marry an America. Once she become and an American citizen, she will divorce the person and remarry Jim. They find someone shady enough to do this for the right price.

Act two Gloria comes back home all glamorous. She gets mad a Jim when she comes into the bedroom and he doesn’t get out of bed to greet her. He satisfying himself.

Gloria comes back a confidential woman. They have been married twenty years. She tells him all the things he did that made her mad. Like acting like she was his maid, not satisfying her sexually. Gloria say she is not putting up with it any more. When he realizes he is going to lose her he promises to do better.

The first act is interesting. But it would be more powerful if we had more insight on what was happening in Jamaica at the time. How did they get their children out of Jamaica? Sometimes their accent was hard to understand what they said. Like what happen to the daughter. Act two has more substance and easy to follow. You get caught up in it and will enjoy it.

It’s worth seeing. But read about Jamaica in the 1970’s to get a greater appreciation before you go.

The cast does an outstanding performance. Joyce Spencer shines in the second act.

The set done by Chris Cumberbatch was impressive.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor.

To read a candid interview with the cast, scroll down to the left for photos. Click on photos for this and other shows,