Two Teabags: A Brew of Self-Acceptance ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Colm Wynne's one-man show, Two Teabags (Directed by Rebecca-Jo Roberts) is far more than a theatrical production; it's an intimate, beautifully crafted exploration of the winding, often messy, path to self-acceptance. At its heart, this is a story about coming out – and coming to terms with who you are – told through the masterful portrayal of two distinct yet interconnected queer lives.

Wynne, both writer and performer, skillfully navigates the emotional landscapes of his two central characters, each on their own poignant quest for self-love. The first is a young gay man from Manchester, teetering on the precipice of his first drag performance. His narrative is a raw nerve of contemporary queer experience: the fraught search for connection on Grindr, the bewildering intersections of family expectation and personal desire, and the aching void left by a beloved aunt whose suspected closeted life echoes his own burgeoning identity. His journey, laced with vulnerability, grief, humour, and grace, is instantly relatable to anyone who has grappled with self-image and belonging. The quiet anguish of being excluded from his aunt's funeral, a silent signal of family disapproval, lends a powerful, understated weight to his story.

In stark contrast, we meet an older man, self-proclaimed "richest man in Manchester," trapped in the gilded cage of an unhappy marriage. His awakening is a subtler, yet no less profound, earthquake. At 60, a seemingly innocuous Grindr hookup cracks open decades of repression, triggering a late-in-life revelation that he is finally ready to live. Wynne portrays this character's quiet desperation and dawning hope with immense sensitivity, painting a powerful picture of courage found in the twilight years.

It’s a quiet, hopeful celebration of connection, empathy, and the profound liberation found in simply being yourself – one cup of tea at a time. This is a show that leaves you not with grand pronouncements, but with a warm, comforting sense of possibility.