Review: Dealer's Choice

Patrick Marber is a clever wordsmith who has won numerous awards in Britain, including — for this play, Dealer’s Choice — the Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy and the Writers Guild Award for Best West End Play. He can get under the skin of people and bring out some real truths that they probably wish would remain hidden.

On the surface, Dealer’s Choice is about poker, but there are swirling undercurrents, and the play is just as much about how a group of men handle the cards that life has dealt them, and about how they interact with each other.

Director Craig Illot has assembled a fine ensemble cast who successfully work very hard to bring Marber’s vision and words to a convincing stage reality.

Sweeney (David Terrey), Frankie (Ashley Lyons) and Mugsy (John Leary) work in a London restaurant owned by Stephen (David Webb). The quartet engage in regular weekly poker school after closing time, often joined by Stephen’s son, Carl (Sam North).

They’re joined this particular evening by a professional gambler, Ash (Christopher Stollery), who’s owed a fist full of pounds by Carl. Without giving too much away, it makes for an intriguing scenario as they hold on to their hats and go for the poker-playing ride of their lives.

I must admit that I enjoyed the first half of the play, when the characters were being established, more than the second, when the big game gets down and dirty, probably because it’s so difficult in a theatre to truly portray the tensions created by the actual cards being held.

But don’t think the game lacks its edge-of-seat moments and fine performances.

All the actors are absolutely convincing in their roles. Even when you think they’re hopeless, weak-kneed and bland, or amoral and bland, or just plain hopeless, you realise that’s exactly how they’re supposed to be.

Mostly ... and I do stress mostly ... they’re just average blokes, really ... blokes who enjoy working together, who like taking the piss, who care about each other’s welfare ... but who have a bit of a problem with the lure of the cards.

The absolute standout is John Leary as Mugsy. He’s very funny, yet also sad as the failed optimist who sees a seven-pound win on the night as a triumph, despite having lost thousands previously, and reckons he’s on an absolute winner leasing a former public toilet as a potential restaurant location.

It’s a potent tale in which some very interesting relationships and tensions play out. Go see it ... and you’ll have a good chance to, because under the auspices of Darlinghurst Theatre’s Critical Stages wing it’s touring nationally between now and the end of October (visit their site for tour dates).

[RETURN TO TOP]

HOME > THEATRE > ARCHIVES 2009 >