Stars of New Vic Pub drama have lesson in pulling pints

The cast of Jim Cartwright’s tragi-comedy – Two – brushed up on their bar skills – ahead of taking to the New Vic stage from Friday 31 January to Saturday 22 February – with the help of Burslem-based Titanic Brewery.

Actors Jimmy Fairhurst and Samantha Robinson, who play the landlord and landlady respectively in Two, visited Titanic Brewery’s The Greyhound pub in Newcastle-under-Lyme in preparation for the play, which features an operational onstage bar.

Jimmy, who has worked in pubs since he was 18, was awarded his publican’s licence in Stoke-on-Trent 10 years ago, so had no trouble propping up the bar. Meanwhile co-star Samantha had never pulled a pint before – but by the end of the session, Titanic’s sales representative Andy Aleksiewicz gave her beverages the thumbs up to be served on stage.

The two actors play all 14 characters in this intimate, fun and poignant production, which takes place over a single booze-filled night.

Titanic Brewery have helped the New Vic create the onstage working bar, to take audiences into the heart of a location familiar to us all – that of the local community pub.

Samantha said: “They pull the best pints in Stoke, so it’s the perfect place for my first ‘bar job’! I’ve always been good at drinking them, not so much pulling them. But I think I’m going to be quite the professional after this.”

Two will beat the New Vic from Friday 31 January to Saturday 22 February 2020.