Marber's Dealer's Choice to Return to the West End
By John Nathan
30 Oct 2007
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Patrick Marber
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| photo by Aubrey Reuben | The Menier Chocolate Factory revival of Patrick Marber's Dealer's Choice will transfer to the West End's Trafalgar Studios with performances beginning on Dec. 6 followed by an official opening Dec. 11.
Directed by Samuel West, the production opened at the big-hitting but tiny Southwark venue on Oct. 3 following previews that began Sept. 27.
The production will keep the original Menier cast with Malcolm Sinclair (who will play Kroll in the forthcoming Almeida revival of Ibsen's Rosmersholm) as restaurant owner Stephen, Samuel Barnett (The History Boys) as his son Carl, Ross Boatman (who played Frankie in the original West End 1995 production) as Sweeney, Roger Lloyd Pack (best known for the classic BBC sitcom "Only Fools and Horses") as Ash, Jay Simpson (The Quare Fellow) as Frankie, and Stephen Wright (Marber's Don Juan in Soho) as Mugsy.
Dealer’s Choice was Marber's debut play. It was followed by Closer and Howard Katz, which recently received its New York debut with Alfred Molina in the title role.
Speaking to Playbill.com, Marber said of Howard Katz, which received unfavorable notices in both London and New York, "It's the runt of my litter. But you love your runt more passionately than you love your triumphs. I think any playwright would say that."
For the Menier revival of Dealer's Choice — which premiered at the National Theatre in 1995 — Marber has inserted a line about online poker to recognize the internet gambling revolution. But elsewhere the comedy thriller remains unchanged and is set around a poker table in Stephen's restaurant.
At the Chocolate Factory the revival was produced by David Babani who, like Marber is a poker player, as is director Samuel West; Marber and West both studied at Oxford during the same time period.
The West End transfer is a co-production between the Chocolate Factory's Babani, Bob Boyett, Sonia Friedman Productions in association with Dena Hammerstein/Pam Pariseau for James Hammerstein Productions and Tulchin/Bartner.
For more information about Dealer's Choice, call (0)020 7907 7060.
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