Two Cities…Half the World Away – Liverpool’s Royal Court

“Two Cities…Half the World Away” by Beyond The Line Theatre Company at The Royal Court Studio was a joyful production that had the audience hooked from the first moment. Callum O’Brien, the director of both the company and the production, staged Nicky Allt’s newer play – you might know him from his better-known “One Night in Istanbul” or “Brick Up the Mersey Tunnels”. Allt’s aptitude for inciting football pride, along with the actor’s abundance of energy left the audience smiling from start to finish.

The story follows two men – meant to be somewhere in their early thirties but looking freshly graduated from college – on their way to an important football match before getting thrown into a police cell until their unpaid fines are paid up. Liam (played by Joseph Stanley), a scouser who claims he’s 100% Liverpudlian and not English, and Terry (played by Ché Tligui), a Manc hellbent on winding his counterpart up, are forced to spend the bones of two hours in this holding cell together while the match plays on the telly in the office of desk sergeant Frank (Neil MacDonald).

The set design and construction was very impressive (dreamed up and put together by Stephen Boylan and Adam Gryba), as was the lighting, conjuring place and tone expertly, though the scene breaks and changes certainly came out of nowhere at times. The soundtrack – consisting mostly of Madchester-era rock tunes – smoothed things over, allowing that Northern pride to seep through even at the interval.

There were so many individual elements that made this production impressive and enjoyable – the set, the acting, the soundtrack. Unfortunately, I found the pacing muddled in the middle of both acts, where the dialogue reiterates that, yes, this scouser and this Manc hate each other and, yes it is a bit stereotypical and wrong. Where this could have been saved with the introduction of a mysterious phone call that Frank is awaiting, he gives all the tension away when he readily tells his prisoners that he’s waiting on news from the hospital, where he granddaughter is in surgery.

The direction was, for the most part, solid, but I found myself somewhat exasperated when Liam or Terry would deliver their lines in Frank’s office despite being confined to the holding cell on the other side of the stage: the suspension of disbelief was somewhat broken. For all its misgivings, however, ‘Two Cities…Half The World Away’ made up for it with buckets of charm. With the audience so fully invested in the characters, there was much heckling going on (especially when we have a warm moment with our main characters swapping each other’s jerseys), which digressed into many a fourth wall break from Liam and Terry. Their joyful banter with the audience solidified for me how talented these young actors are. Both born for the stage, Joseph Stanley in particular was so comfortable in his role he became boundless in his expression of Mersey pride (although Ché Tligui was also very good, and had the more difficult role of the ‘evil Manc’ in the eyes of our Scouse audience).

Even with some questionable direction and a little too much ad libbing, this show was a genuine laugh, with some truly heartfelt moment. Where Beyond the Line Theatre Company is still in its infancy, I look forward to seeing more of their work and how they develop.

“Two Cities…Half the World Away” is playing in the Royal Court Studio until the 7^th of September. More information and tickets available here: https://liverpoolsroyalcourt.com/studio/two-cities-half-the-world-away/

Reviewer: Anna Ní Dhúill

Reviewed: 3rd September 2024

North West End UK Rating: