Reader Reviews
Dealer's Choice (Menier Theatre, Outer London)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | I must be from planet zog as I am not as convinced by this play as others here seem to be. The father son relationship is so poorly written it is barely a sketch. Mugsy is a lovely comic character, and well performed by Stepehn Wight, but that's about it. Where does it take us? From the final scene I suspect we are meant to see the sins of the father etc, etc, but come on? There was some talent on that stage tonight, Roger Lloyd Pack; Malcolm Sinclair; etc; but I felt it was wasted. The Americans do this sort of thing, on film and TV, so much better and with greater regularity. An overhyped play not worthy of a revival and the attention of this important venue. Come on Mernier there must be something better out there deserving of your attention! - rds | 08 Nov 07 |
| Fantastic production, brilliantly acted in a lovely intimate venue. See it at the Menier before it transfers to the West End and you have to pay twice the price to sit at the back of the balcony. - A.C. | 29 Oct 07 |
| Can the Menier do no wrong? Sam West's terrific revival fits this space like a glove. He finds every once of tension and every morsel of humour in the play. Tom Piper's setting brilliantly creates both the restaurant and its cellar. The ensemble is absolutely faultless with each of the six actors perfectly inhabiting his role. I know it hasn't been changed, but the play seems to have matured and in this space and this production seems even better than the Cottesloe premiere 12 years ago. - Gareth James | 29 Oct 07 |
| I saw this play first time round and didn't appreciate then just how brilliantly observed and beautifully written this play is. I love theatre which makes you believe the characters are real and makes you care about them. For that you need a great script, great directing and great acting. This production has all these in spades. Samuel West's production is brilliantly staged at every level and is without doubt the best thing I've seen on stage this year and perhaps for longer which is a big compliment given how much theatre I see. The acting is exemplary. Ross Boatman and Jay Simpson as Sweeney and Frankie have wonderful rapport and a deep affection which makes you want them to be happy and achieve their dreams, Sam Barnett creates a damaged Carl who seems to be becoming another version of his father, addicted and unable to accept it. Roger Lloyd Pack gives a powerful performance of fear laced with a little compassion as Ash. Malcolm Sinclair as Stephen is a caring yet out of control gambler who doesn't realise his addiction but is full of compassion for his son Carl and for his staff. There is a moment in the play where Stephen and Ash lock gazes and get a real sense of the other. It's spine tingling stuff. All the acting is of the highest quality and it seems a little unfair to single one actor out but I must as Stephen Wight as Mugsy is one of the best acting performances I've seen. He brings Mugsy to life to that extent that you feel you know him, he's your friend who you just will to win through because you really care for him. He's very funny and yet an incredbly sad young man but he never gives up. When he wins £7, you feel so happy for him. I didn't want this play to end. This is award winning stuff at every level. As soon as I got home I booked to see it again. The must see theatre event of 2007! - Paul Wallis | 13 Oct 07 |
| In ‘Dealer’s Choice’, the ferociously-talented Patrick Marber unveils a profound study of compulsion; questioning why we base decisions – that on the surface should be entirely rational – on emotion, desire and hope. Meanwhile, the darker aspects of the male psyche are revealed amongst the testosterone-charged wise-cracks and put-downs around the poker table, as Marber questions the sincerity of relationships, between employees and employers; colleagues and friends; and most poignantly of all - fathers and sons. Samuel West’s production in the intimacy of the Menier Chocolate Factory is superb, the design and setting coolly reflecting the action, set in a London restaurant owned by Stephen (Malcolm Sinclair) a middle-aged, financially-successful man of calculated emotional distance, fastidious habits and sardonic wit. In fact, the cast, without exception, give first-class performances: Ross Boatman is completely believable as Sweeney the stressed chef, whose bitter, drunken singing ''I haven't seen a card all night'' (to the tune of ''I Could Have Danced All Night'')delivered with increasing viciousness cleaves to the memory, long after the final curtain. Jay Simpson is sound as Frankie the cock-sure waiter and would-be professional poker player. Stephen Wight’s Mugsy, with his enthusiastically-irritating lucky ‘demon’ diamonds and his lucky Hawaiian poker shirt and £30 rayon-silk tie, deserves special mention. Wight succeeds in squeezing every last ounce of laughter from the dialogue, capturing his relentless jokes and gullible optimism, and masking the sad reality of his being one of life’s losers. Roger Lloyd Pack’s Ash is controlled and assured – a performance laced with sufficient menace and intrigue to question the exact nature of the mentoring relationship between him and young Carl (Samuel Barnett). Stephen sees poker as a school for ''self-discipline''; but for prodigal son Carl, whose guilty secret is a gambling addiction with debts of over £4000, the game is ''about guts, about passion'' - which also neatly sums up Sam Barnett’s performance. Known already to London Theatre audiences of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, as the original Posner, Barnett acts with a breathtaking, emotional intensity. Whilst his detached coldness towards his father is at all times believable; it is the later vulnerability and insecurity which is heart-rending to watch. Samuel West’s production is superb – a royal flush. Yes, expect dozens of other corny card-game metaphors from the professional critics, meanwhile I’ll lay my cards on the table and declare it top trumps… - Neil M | 02 Oct 07 |
