Dealer's Choice (2001)
Directed by Sarah E Slater
Performances: Tue 3rd – Sat 7th April 2001, Bell Theatre
Contents
Introduction
'Patrick Marber's writing career has been a diverse and a distinguished one, particularly in the context of British radio and television, where he was a member of the creative team behind such influential and popular successes as, 'On the Hour', 'The Day Today' and 'Knowing Me, Knowing You'. His career in the theatre came later but has been equally successful. 'Dealer's Choice' is a bold first play in which Marber's interest in contemporary relationships, social structures and rituals is fully demonstrated. First produced in London in 1995, it is about men - the relationships between them and, particularly, the relationship between fathers and sons. Stephen runs a poker school every Sunday night in the basement of his restaurant. The poker game has become a familiar fixed point in the lives of the players: Mugsy, the good-natured habitual loser; Sweeney, a divorced father struggling to maintain a relationship with his young daughte; and Carl, Stephen's son, deeply in debt to the professional gambler, Ash, who is, in turn, in debt to another player. While carl may be addicted to gambling, and is hugely in debt as a result, Stephen is equaly addicted to the riyual of the card game, its language and its familiarity. The irony is that the stability and order in the men's lives are derived from a game of chance. As with his later plays, Marber quickly shows his ability to demonstrate characters and their histories through bantering and repartee. In 1995, 'Dealer's Choice' earned both the Evening Standard Award for best comedy and the Writers' Guild Award for the best west end play. Gale Research.
Cast
- Sweeney - Jim Truscott
- Mugsy - Steve Ellis
- Frankie - Andy Smith
- Stephen - Alan Jarvis
- Carl - James Newall
- Ash - Billy Colvill
Crew
- Lighting Design - Brian Fretwell
- Lighting Operator - Sarah Farage
- Sound Operator - Ian Mill
- Set Design - Lisa Marsh
- Crew - Anton Krause, Lisa Marsh, Andy Smith
- Stage Management - Sue McAleaney, John McAleaney
- Production Assistant - Emma Gorie
- Prompt - Jeanette Hoile
Reviews
Some review quotes go here
Gallery
Reminiscences and Anecdotes
Members are encouraged to write about their experiences of working on or seeing this production. Please leave your name. Anonymous entries may be deleted.
See Also
References
<references/>
