Hit Irish play in Newcastle and Sunderland

Published: 19 August 2018
Reporter: Peter Lathan

Two Pints by Roddy Doyle

Two Pints, a play by Roddy Doyle, produced by Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, which has been a hit in Ireland, will have its British première at Live Theatre in Newcastle before going to The Peacock in Sunderland.

The play, which started life as a conversation on Facebook and gained a large following so Doyle brought the two characters to life in a play, in which two men meet in a pub for a pint, chew the fat, and set the world to rights. It became a sell-out when it toured to pubs across Ireland.

"When I wrote Two Pints, I didn't envisage it being performed in a pub,” Doyle said, “but it is part of the adventure. The play is being put on in a context that is unfamiliar to me—that excites me."

Novelist, dramatist and screenwriter Roddy Doyle is best known for the hit film The Commitments, the novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and numerous other novels and plays.

"We are delighted to host the British debut of Roddy Doyle's comedy Two Pints, which has been a sell-out success across Ireland,” said Joe Douglas, Artistic Director of Live Theatre. “We look forward to bringing it to audiences in Newcastle and Sunderland.

"The show is usually performed in pubs, so at Live Theatre the bar is returning into the main theatre space. Audiences can get a pint, pull up a chair and listen in to the conversation at the bar. In Sunderland, we are delighted to have the perfect pub-setting ready-made in the beautifully restored The Peacock pub on Keel Square.”

Helen Green, Head of Performance at Sunderland Culture, the co-producer of the première, is also excited by the production.

"Bringing Roddy Doyle's successful and hilarious play from the Abbey Theatre to the Peacock in Sunderland is a real coup and it will undoubtedly be a highlight of the autumn programme of Sunderland Stages.”

This production is organised in association with Sunderland Culture and as part of the Culture Ireland GB programme.

The play stars Liam Carney and Philip Judge and is directed by Abbey Theatre's Associate Director Caitríona McLaughlin. Two Pints is suitable for ages 18+ and comes to Live Theatre, Newcastle, from Wednesday 12 to Sunday 23 September, and The Peacock Pub, High Street West, Sunderland from Tuesday 25 to Friday 28 September.

Tickets for both venues are available from Live Theatre's Box Office on (0191) 232 1232 or online. A small number of tickets for the Sunderland performances are available from the Peacock.

Guinness will be available in both venues.

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