Two

A single night in a busy Glasgow pub is the setting for break-ups, make-ups, fighting and flirting in Jim Cartwright's Two, touring Scotland with star names Elaine C Smith and Andy Gray above the title.

Combining broad comedy with close-up tragedy, Two is more a collection of monologues and dialogues than a narrative-driven play. In theory, it centres on the relationship between the husband and wife publicans who provide the punters with booze and banter while hurling insults at each other behind the bar. In reality, their story is the least interesting of the lot.

More subtly drawn characters include a weary old woman seeking respite from caring for her crippled husband, and a stammering widower comforted by memories of his late wife.

However, chances are these touching little moments won't be the ones audiences will be talking about in the bar, competing as they are with a comic dance display by Andy Gray's mullet-sporting ladies' man, and a rather cruel scene about a morbidly obese (and mentally unstable) couple.

It's not that Gray and Smith can't carry off the straight scenes, which also include an ugly exchange between an abusive husband and his monosyllabic wife. The problem is that their audiences expect them to be funny no matter what, and have a tendency to laugh along regardless of the subject matter.

On paper, it's easy to see why Two appealed to the duo - the mix of styles allows them to flex their dramatic acting muscles while drawing crowds of comedy fans. It's just a shame they don't know when to stop laughing.