Gogol’s classic play The Gamblers is a fast-paced comedy about a group of card-sharks who try to outwit each other. A masterpiece of dramatic suspense, this is a thrilling satire of greed and a comic celebration of cunning. Read more …
This new all female version is a story of women who gamble, hustle, cheat, drink, swear, sing and dance. And never apologise for it.
It’s a fluidly staged production, with a strong ensemble spirit and a lively musicality.
Verdict: Gender-bending adaptation gives Gogol a 21st-century resonance in this tightly woven production
For all its occasional uncertainties of tone, there’s something profoundly vivid and unsettling about a drama which rakes some of the most cruel and thrilling aspects of a society based on machismo, and filters them through the presence of six powerful female performers.
Amidst the crisp wit on display here, many may find this realisation depressingly resonant.
Makes for a piece of gender-bending subversion that double-bluffs its way onto the stage with barely a trick missed.
Although occasionally engaging, and boasting some fine use of live music, this production lacks the necessary boldness, in both conception and performance. Palpably unsure of itself, it is simply too restrained, insufficiently funny and surprisingly bloodless.
The Gamblers is a play for a rainy afternoon and leaves an audience with a smile and a warning: gamblers are not people to mess with.
Never really starts to ignite.
The Russian style music is rollicking but Summerhall’s venue is freezing and this play failed to warm the heart.
Dimitrijevic’s direction maintains the energy of the piece, and if some of the comedy fails to hit its intended mark, there remains a brash profundity about it all that is both convincing and dangerously attractive.
Modern revival of Gogol's classic play The Gamblers set to tour Scotland
Gambling on Gogol
Dundee Rep Theatre, Dundee from Wednesday October 22, 2014, until Saturday October 25, 2014. More info: www.dundeereptheatre.co.uk
Tron Theatre, Glasgow from Wednesday November 5, 2014, until Saturday November 8, 2014. More info: www.tron.co.uk
Summerhall, Edinburgh from Tuesday November 11, 2014, until Friday November 14, 2014.
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