No wonder Patric Kearns is spot on with the direction and design of Dealer's Choice – he knows it inside out after having to take over one of the main roles due to the indisposition of actor Neil Roberts.
Kearns gave an excellent performance as Stephen, the owner of the restaurant where the often hilarious and well constructed play is set.
This talking Scarlet production brings out the best in Patrick Marber's script, featuring six men eagerly anticipating a weekly game of poker that sees them resort to drinking, swearing and making crude remarks about the opposite sex.
The first half deals with the exciting build up to the game. Chef Sweeney (Ben Crowe) and waiters Frankie (Samuel Clemens) and Mugsy (Matthew Zilch) also indulge in squabbling and banter. with the gullible Mugsy usually on the receiving end. The power play between restaurateur Stephen and his debt-ridden son Carl (Griffin Stevens) adds to the tension, as does the menacing presence of card shark Ash, with David Keyes superbly projecting his dubious character,
It results in a gripping climax as Dealer's Choice, winner of The Writer's Guild Award for Best West End Play in1995, shows that in gambling there are only losers.
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