I must say, the blurb for Two made me pretty sceptical. There are two actors, fourteen roles, and it all takes place in the (relatively cramped) ADC bar. The words ‘weird’ and ‘avant-garde’ sprang to mind. I was expecting lots of shrieking and deep, meaningful lighting changes; perhaps some nonsensical but self-pitying drivel about the futility of life, after which I would be advantageously situated near enough to the bar to drown the sorrows of a wasted hour in white wine and Maltesers.

In fact, I was very pleasantly surprised. Two, a play by Jim Cartwright (of Little Voice fame) is funny, endearing and tragic in equal measure. It centres on a small Northern pub and the comings and goings of its regulars, all of whom are in some kind of dysfunctional yet inextricable relationship. What makes it all the more impressive is that only two actors, the eye-wateringly talented and versatile Oliver Soden and Lowri Amies are playing not only all the regulars, but also the owners, whom the play returns to and focuses on in light of every other failed couple who wander in and out of the pub.

If Two had but one fault, it was its slow start. It was as though the actors were surprised at how stereotypically Northern they could be. You know what I mean: the landlord a middle-aged, oblivious husband shuffles in to the bar whilst his wife, realising she too could be from Yorkshire, irascibly waved a pint-glass in his face. Thankfully, down to what can only be an improvement in direction, the following couples felt less stilted and the play’s overall oop-North-ness was far more subtle.

In Two’s defence, all of the other characters were crafted with a huge amount of attention to detail, and displayed superb comic timing. You also find, over the course of the play, that you end up picking your favourite couples, the ones that made you laugh out loud the most, or even cry. I loved the hapless Moth and Maudie, and not just for the way that Moth attempted to chat up random members of the audience with a pathetic spiel, but as someone with a penchant for 80’s pop I also appreciated his chronic dancing to There Must Be An Angel. On the flipside, the claustrophia and unpredictability of the Igers' abusive marriage had me perched right on the edge of my barstool.

But the crowning moment came at the end. As much as you see the ups and downs of every other couple’s lives, the pub’s owners are the one mystery. They snipe at each other inexplicably – why? You find out at the end. Without giving too much away, Soden’s performance moved me to as tearful a state as him – and I don’t cry at plays.

The real strength of Two is that you don’t feel as though you’re watching a play set in a bar. You feel as though you’re in the pub with the couples, despite what turned out to be very good lighting changes and speeches on life’s futility. It’s quirky and thoughtful, and what’s more, it had me humming Eurythmics songs all the way home. What's not to like?