Jamie’s comical lack of good fortune is beautifully summed up in the last two lines of this play, where the parallel monologues of
Should unite right and left in appreciation of a job well done.
Twix follows the story of two lads from different corners of the city. Jamie is in his twenties, out of work and trying to retain his self respect by not taking the opportunity to make easy money from drug dealing. While haunted by the reputation of his father he also looks after his science-obsessed younger brother who is offered the chance to go on a school field trip. The only obstacle is the £50 fee, which Jamie is desperately trying to raise. Henry, meanwhile, is trying to keep fit counting the number of sit-ups he can do and the calories in every item of food he looks at which often become confused with the dates he needs to know for his pending Russian history exam.
Laurie Ogden’s delightful prose is handled with great care by Christopher Brown (Jamie) and Jeremy Franklin (Henry). They clearly define their own characters and successfully delineate others through a range of voices. There is no direct verbal communication between them but they interact through the structure of the play and their precisely choreographed movement. This enables them to support each other and bring emphasis to the text. The performance area is tight, even though they have only two chairs on stage. In this case it is advantageous in providing a level of proximity of intimacy that invites the audience into their private lives and innermost thoughts. Their delivery is clear, the pace varies and the energy is adjusted in accordance with the demands of each scenario. The humourous and the sad happily coexist, proving contrasting moments.
The play is performed by two endearing actors who know how to relate a story and engage with the audience. Emotionally, perhaps the highs of the story are not high enough and lows not deep enough, but overall it should unite right and left in appreciation of a job well done.
