Two Doors Down, Glasgow review: 'killer lines, delivered perfectly'
Vast audience greets cast with warmth and affection and is on their feet by the end, writes Ashley Davies
Two Doors Down, Hydro, Glasgow ★★★★
“But… how?” was the question on everyone’s lips when it was announced that cherished BBC sitcom Two Doors Down would be performed at Scotland’s biggest live indoor venue.
It is, after all, an understated comedy that’s largely set in one room and relies heavily on subtle language and facial expressions. How does someone at the back of a massive auditorium experience that?
But the producers have done a tip-top job of putting the “action” on stage, where an external view of Latimer Crescent opens up to invite us into Beth and Eric’s lounge. Large screens on either side deliver a decent approximation of the intimacy you get from the telly – along with the sort of well-drilled direction and editing that’s not easy to achieve live.
The first half could easily be a script from the TV show, bar a handful of knowing references to the context, such as a baffled “Going out to watch TV?” remark.
The premise? Beth and Eric (Arabella Weir and Alex Norton) are hosting a gathering at which their son, Ian, and his boyfriend Gordon (Jamie Quinn and Kieran Hodgson) will make an announcement.
Neighbours Cathy and Colin (Doon Mackichan and Jonathan Watson), Alan and Joy (Graeme “Grado” Stevely” and Michelle McAvoy) and, of course, Christine (the great Elaine C Smith) enter the space to speculate on the news, each receiving an affectionate welcome from the vast audience.
Familiar tropes are met with warmth, and the crowd delights in the odd (well-handled) spot subtle corpsing. As always, it’s Christine who gets the killer lines, delivered perfectly by Smith, while Cathy’s wine-fuelled physicality makes the most of the space.
Conventions are torn up for the second half, with unexpected theatrical bells and whistles deployed in a “what if” flight of fancy that changes the pace entirely but has the satisfied audience on their feet and singing at the end.
Two Doors Down Live runs until 27 September, and then from 9 to 11 October, ovohydro.com/events/detail/two-doors-down
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