By Jessica Kennedy.
If you are looking for a live theater experience that is both evocative and soul-stirring, then Theatre Three’s mainstage production of The Gin Game is for you. Directed by Colleen Rebecca Britt and playing from January 13th-February 3rd, this seminal drama will make you laugh, cry, and contemplate.
Written by D.L. Coburn in 1976, it opened on Broadway only 18 months later starring Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. This Pulitzer Prize- winning two-hander about a couple of lonely residents of the Bentley Nursing Home racked up myriad Tony Nominations and has been enjoyed by theater-goers across the world. I’ll admit, I hadn’t heard of the play prior to Theatre Three’s version, and I have never personally played gin. I am, however, a huge fan of character-driven stories. Two hours with so few characters in one room might sound like hell to some (just ask Sartre), but, to me, it sounds divine. Being able to closely watch the interaction between these two characters made for a truly fascinating character study. With relational Easter eggs buried throughout their interactions and subtly spiraling tensions building with each dealing of the cards, this play is a literary master stroke.
Beyond the impeccable writing, this show demands a pairing of performers able to tackle the complex duet that the two main characters dance with each round of gin. Bradlee E. Bing and Marci Bing play the brusque Weller Martin and the modest Fonsia Dorsey to perfection. This married couple combine their decades-long chemistry with their impressive acting chops to bring Weller and Fonsia to the stage with blinding rawness and depth. As the show opens, we chuckle and smile at the zany, yet endearing Weller, and we root for him as he calms and charms the innocent and lady-like Fonsia. Jason Allyn’s thoughtful costume design adds to this initial characterization. Weller’s cane, at first, makes him seem vulnerable; Fonzia’s various dresses play up her reserved and demure nature. These same details are viciously inverted as we come to realize they also represent their owners’ deeply flawed ideas and worldviews. We can tell from the start as they sit on a weathered sun porch on visitor’s day, that each pair of this unlikely duo has secrets. Randall Parsons’ scenic design compliments this perfectly; its dilapidated status adds a palpable sadness to the overall state of the space. At first, we root for this unlikely pair to find solace in each other; we pray that they will believe the lies they’ve told themselves— and each other. However, as the card game becomes more aggressive, so too, do the verbal barbs they launch at each other. The veneer they each have polished and proudly worn begins to crack and peel away. Mr. and Mrs. Bing play this out in exquisite synchrony. Their comedic beats felt effortless, and their physical acting made the deterioration of their possible kindred friendship all the more devastating. When the final hand is played, and the two are fully exposed, it leaves the audience with something to mourn— and a lot to think about.
So whatever your age, or experience in card games, this show is one you won’t want to miss.
Running time is two hours with one fifteen minute intermission.