Two-hander
Two-hander is a term for a play, movie, or television programme with only two main characters.[1] The two characters in question often display differences in social standing or experiences, differences that are explored and possibly overcome as the story unfolds.[2][3]
Instances
Theatre
- The Stronger (1889) by August Strindberg (This play is also an example of a dramatic monologue.)
- Pariah (1889) by August Strindberg
- Two for the Seesaw (1958) by William Gibson[3]
- The Zoo Story (1959) by Edward Albee
- The Dumb Waiter (1960) by Harold Pinter
- The Gin Game (1976) by D.L. Coburn
- Talley's Folly (1980) by Lanford Wilson
- Duet for One (1980, filmed in 1986), by Tom Kempinski
- Educating Rita (1980) by Willy Russell
- Some Men Need Help (1982) by John Ford Noonan
- The Woman in Black (1987) by Stephen Mallatratt
- Love Letters (1988) by A. R. Gurney
- Oleanna (1992) by David Mamet
- john & jen (1995) by Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald
- Disco Pigs (1996) by Enda Walsh
- Freud's Last Session (1999) by Mark St. Germain
- The Last Five Years (2001) by Jason Robert Brown
- A Number (2002) by Caryl Churchill
- adrenalin...heart (2002) by Georgia Fitch
- The Story of My Life (2006) by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill
- A Steady Rain (2007) by Keith Huff
- Follow Me (2008) by Ross Gurney-Randall and Dave Mounfield
- it felt empty when the heart went at first but it is alright now (2009) by Lucy Kirkwood
- Red (2009) by John Logan
- Venus in Fur (2010) by David Ives
- In a Forest, Dark and Deep (2011) by Neil LaBute
- Constellations (2012) by Nick Payne
- Between the Sheets (2012) by Jordi Mand[4]
- The Velocity of Autumn (2013) by Eric Coble
Film
- My Dinner with Andre (1981) by Louis Malle
- Sleuth (1972) by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
- Moon (2009) by Duncan Jones
Television
- EastEnders two-hander episodes
- Maude; several episodes (such as "Maude's Night Out" and "The Convention") featured only the characters of Maude and Walter
- In Treatment portrays the relationship between a psychotherapist and his clients, so most episodes are entirely or primarily two-handers.
- Dinner for One (1963) by Lauri Wylie, a one-off TV special traditionally associated with New Year's Eve in central Europe
- "Brian & Stewie", episode of Family Guy
- Four Star Playhouse episode Award, featuring an only two cast members.
"Almost" Instances
- Beirut (1987) by Alan Bowne
- Driving Miss Daisy (1987) by Alfred Uhry[5]
- Lost in Translation (2003)
- Blackbird (2005) by David Harrower
- Gravity (2013)
- The One I Love (2014)
- Whiplash (2014)
References
- ↑ "Slanguage Dictionary Results - Two-hander". Variety. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ↑ Wolcott, James (6 September 2010). "Crouching Duck, Hidden Draper: Mad Men Season 4, Episode 7". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Caption for still from William Gibson’s play “Two for the Seesaw.” Photo credit Arthur Cantor; from "Looking Back at Arthur Penn" slide show; The New York Times, September 30, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
- ↑ "What's On: Between the Sheets", Nightwood Theatre
- ↑ Gussow, Mel, "The Stage: Driving Miss Daisy", The New York Times, April 16, 1987. Retrieved 2011-02-15.