WILLIAMSTOWN LITTLE THEATRE

                      “Dealer’s Choice”  by Patrick Marber                                   

Directed by Chris Baldock

Reviewed by Frances Devlin-Glass, 20 September, 2005

for 3CR’s “Curtain Up” - Sundays at One — 855 am

Dealer’s Choice is a play for six male actors, and Chris Baldock’s casting and direction produced a strong, tight ensemble of well-balanced and contrasting characters. It’s a sizzling little confection written by Patrick Marber, who knows his stagecraft. His handling of dialogue and situation are smart, and the dialogue is best delivered pacily, which we certainly got at Willy on Tuesday last. It’s about gambling as an addiction, but more significantly a play that deals in a humane way with sonship and fatherhood, biological and elective. One leaves the theatre with a warm glow, and a sense that it’s a shame sons don’t get to choose their fathers.

Ellis Ebell was the standout actor of this strong cast.  He was the patriarch with his own addictive demons to act out, including his frustrated ambitions for a son who doesn’t come near him in the capacity to feel and be honest.  What I loved about Ellis’s acting was its presence: his timing was excellent, and much of what he achieved, he did non-verbally.  His eyes work very hard, and one is never in any doubt that he is fully immersed in the role.  His characterisation was marked by understatement of a most controlled and disciplined kind. The text often required him to be immobile while conversations were happening on other parts of the small set, and he was always a delight to observe. 

His elective son, Mugsy, played by Tim Constantine was utterly different: simple-minded and fired by a variety of manias, he was as over-the-top as his boss was held back, and his naivety had a very touching quality to it.  Although I did not at all follow the intricacies of the poker games, his responses were a reliable guide as to the import of the different moves.  His ‘demons’ tic was hilarious, especially when misplaced.

Paul Dineen, as smart as Mugsy was dumb, was a study in slickness and reason, and I really admired the way these character-traits were combined with a shame-faced larrikinism.  Paul Dineen is another intelligent and subtle actor.

Peter Prenga as Ash was terrifying. He had presence and his entry, with back to audience was an especially effective piece of blocking. His body language was that of menace.  He was well cast.  I admired the way the script turned the tables on him, revealing him to be the mug in a higher order poker school.

The lesser roles of Sweeney and Carl were played competently by Daniel O’Connell and Jonathan Oldham.

David Dare’s set was terrific, especially the dining room/kitchen.  How people like him have the visual memory of such nondescript haunts as was depicted in this play beats me.  It was recognisably a contemporary restaurant in a seedy 50s décor, with wooden half panels and sponge-painted upper walls in two colours.

Also a commendation to the theatre and Year 11 students of Copperfield College for the continuing commitment to the design poster competition.  An excellent initiative which produces some excellent art work for the theatre poster.

Frances Devlin-Glass