By Patrick Marber

Directed by Steve Scott

Dealer’s Choice, Patrick Marber’s first play and precursor to his now globally successful play and film Closer, is set in a modest London restaurant where small-time gamblers Sweeney (Gregory Hardigan), Frankie (Brian McCaskill) and Mugsy (Raymond L. Chapman) serve food, bicker and concoct schemes as they prepare for their weekly poker game with restaurant owner Stephen (Doug McDade) and his debt-ridden son Carl (Kevin Viol). After countless nights spent around the same table, these players know the odds and each other inside out. But their friendly game takes a sudden, serious turn when a suspiciously skilled newcomer (Nigel Patterson) enters their midst. On this night, deep wounds are exposed and old scores must be settled as the desperate would-be winners battle for supremacy. By turns hilarious, hauntingly brutal and startlingly sincere, Dealer’s Choice is a compelling account of the risks and rewards of life’s high-stakes gambles.

Previews   MARCH 23-25, 2006
Performances  MARCH 26-MAY 14, 2006
 Thursday through Sunday