History ThoseTwoGuys / Theater

* This is OlderThanSteam, appearing in several of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's plays.
** The original pair is probably Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''. They are unintentional evil minions. Hamlet [[MoralDissonance has them killed anyway]].
** Salarino and Solanio from ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' are similar, only with even less relevance to the plot. They also have so little individual personality that some actors refer to them as "the Salads".
** Cleomenes and Dion in ''Theatre/TheWintersTale''.
** ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' has Benvolio and Mercutio. Slightly off, though; both are somewhat relevant to the story, and [[spoiler: Mercutio dies midway through the story while Benvolio survives.]]
** ''Theatre/TheTempest'' features Trinculo and Stephano. Played by Creator/RussellBrand and Creator/AlfredMolina in the [[Film/TheTempest2010 2010 film adaption]].
** Most productions of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' often turn Ross and Lennox (or Lennox and Angus, if Ross retains his considerably large role) into this, often merging said characters with the minor lords like Caithness, Menteith, and the unnamed lord (from III.vi) in the process.
** Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Augueface, the two bumbling drunks from ''Theatre/TwelfthNight'', are the epitome of this trope.
* The later POVSequel of ''Hamlet'', ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'', subverts Those Two Guys. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were inspired by Vladimir and Estragon (''Theatre/WaitingForGodot'') and went on to inspire Jay and Silent Bob (''The Askewniverse'' films) and even more recently and obviously, Rosenberg and Goldstein of the ''Harold and Kumar'' films and Timon and Pumbaa of ''Disney/TheLionKing'', who then get their own ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'' in the form of the DirectToVideo ''The Lion King 1 1/2''.
* ''Carmen'':
** The smugglers are often played like this.
** Carmen's two friends, Mercedes and Frasquita.
* Ping, Pang and Pong in the opera ''Turandot''.
* Colline and Schaunard in ''Theatre/LaBoheme''.
* ''The Love of the Nightingale'' has two soldiers who represent Tereus' men.
* Sebastian and Bisque in ''[[RestorationComedy The Rover]]''
* Vladimir and Estragon in ''Theatre/WaitingForGodot'' are a subversion of this trope, with Godot, the main character, [[TheGhost never showing up]].
* Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky from Creator/NikolaiGogol's ''Theatre/TheInspectorGeneral''.
* Friedrich Dürrenmatt's ''Der Besuch der alten Dame'' has two creepy blind eunuchs refered to as ''die Beiden'', which can be roughly translated with: ThoseTwoGuys.
* Harry and Jamie, Alfred Doolittle's friends and fellow dustmen, from ''Theatre/MyFairLady''.
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* Vladimir and Estragon in ''WaitingForGodot'' are a subversion of this trope, with Godot, the main character, [[TheGhost never showing up]].

* This is OlderThanSteam, the original pair being Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''. They are unintentional evil minions. Hamlet [[MoralDissonance has them killed anyway]].

* Salarino and Solanio from ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' are similar, only with even less relevance to the plot. They also have so little individual personality that some actors refer to them as "the Salads".
* Cleomenes and Dion in ''Theatre/TheWintersTale''.
* ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' has Benvolio and Mercutio. Slightly off, though; both are somewhat relevant to the story, and [[spoiler: Mercutio dies midway through the story while Benvolio survives.]]

* ''Theatre/TheTempest'' features Trinculo and Stephano.
** Played by Creator/RussellBrand and Creator/AlfredMolina in the [[Film/TheTempest2010 2010 film adaption]].
* Most productions of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' often turn Ross and Lennox (or Lennox and Angus, if Ross retains his considerably large role) into this, often merging said characters with the minor lords like Caithness, Menteith, and the unnamed lord (from III.vi) in the process.
* Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Augueface, the two bumbling drunks from ''Twelfth Night'', are the epitome of this trope.

* Colline and Schaunard in ''LaBoheme''.

* ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' has Benvolio and Mercutio. Slightly off, though; both are somewhat relevant to the story.

* Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky from Creator/NikolaiGogol's ''The Inspector General''.

* Vladimir and Estragon in ''WaitingForGodot'' are a subversion of this trope, with Godot, the main character, [[{{Macguffin}} never showing up]].

* The later POVSequel of ''Hamlet'', ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'', subverts Those Two Guys. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern go on to inspire and inform several Greek Chorus duos, most obviously Vladimir and Estragon (''WaitingForGodot''), Jay and Silent Bob (''The Askewniverse'' films) and even more recently and obviously, Rosenberg and Goldstein of the ''Harold and Kumar'' films, or Timon and Pumbaa of ''Disney/TheLionKing'', who then get their own ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead''.

* This is OlderThanSteam, the original pair being Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.
** The later POVSequel, ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'', subverts this.
** Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are also quasi-subverted in the trope-making story, as they are also unintentional evil minions. Hamlet [[MoralDissonance has them killed anyway]].
** These two go on to inspire and inform several Greek Chorus duos, most obviously Vladimir and Estragon (''WaitingForGodot''), more recently, Jay and Silent Bob (''The Askewniverse'' films) and even more recently and obviously, Rosenberg and Goldstein of the ''Harold and Kumar'' films.
** Timon and Pumbaa of ''Disney/TheLionKing'', who then get their own ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead''.

* The smugglers in the opera ''Carmen'' are often played like this.
** Also Carmen's two friends, Mercedes and Frasquita.

* Vladimir and Estragon in WaitingForGodot are a subversion of this trope, with Godot, the main character, [[{{Macguffin}} never showing up]].

* This is OlderThanSteam, the original pair being Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from ''{{Hamlet}}''.
** The later POVSequel, ''RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'', by TomStoppard, subverts this.

* Salarino and Solanio from ''The Merchant of Venice'' are similar, only with even less relevance to the plot. They also have so little individual personality that some actors refer to them as "the Salads".
* Cleomenes and Dion in ''The Winter's Tale''.
* RomeoAndJuliet has Benvolio and Mercutio. Slightly off, though; both are somewhat relevant to the story.

** Timon and Pumbaa of ''TheLionKing'', who then get their own ''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead''.

* Bobchinsky and Dobchnsky from Creator/NikolaiGogol's ''The Inspector General''.