A deeply haunting production about the power of addiction and it’s unforgivable mental grasp.Summary
Rating
Good
Upon seeing a roulette wheel, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it a scene from a film such as Casablanca perhaps? Where a young man sits desperately trying to win so that he and his wife may have a better life. Maybe a bad experience where money was once there, and then gone in an instant. A good experience where money was there, and then more money was suddenly there and then by the time the game was done, an abundance of riches was miraculously there for the taking.
Before, the actors entered the stage, the inanimate object being the roulette wheel is already there in its absolute state of neutrality. It is not a friend, nor is it an enemy, in fact the roulette wheel has no power at all whatsoever, until it is put into motion. This state of motion is where Lucky Dog begins. Three actors take their places on stage, and with a noir atmosphere the gambler (Joseph Lindoe) presents us with his thoughts on the roulette wheel and the addictive hold it has on him.
On the surface Lucky Dog is a fairly basic story; a gambler continually in debt and whose only way of obtaining money is through Ugly Pete (Kurt Lucas), whom he must pay back in a certain amount of time before Ugly Pete sends two hitmen after him. Then one day the gambler meets Jenny (Kate Loustau), a veterinary nurse, with whom he eventually falls in love with. The writing and the acting are by no means extraordinary, but the story as a whole is outstanding.
Nothing is subtle about Lucky Dog as it unfolds in an almost classic noir style. At times the lighting is dimmed as the gambler speaks directly to the audience, shadows cast around him and by him, before he returns to his relationships with the other characters. As Lucky Dog progresses, and the gambler’s life becomes more abundant, not with money but with Jenny and the little dog they have appropriately named Mister Lucky, he becomes more and more comfortable with his new life. It turns from a simple play about a gambler who meets a woman and falls in love to a thriller where the audience becomes painfully aware of the gambler’s inner demons and the control they have over him.
As discussed in the programme Lucky Dog is quite a personal production, which unfolds itself with such precision it leaves the audience are on the edge of their seat. The addictive demons which haunt the gambler are the same demons which haunt director Alex Donald, and anyone who has ever been in the presence of such demons knows the power they can have over you. Moreover, to see these demons presented in such a manner on stage makes for a thrilling and haunting story well worth seeing.
Directed by: Alex Donald
Written by: Tim Connery
Lucky Dog plays at The Bridge House Theatre until Saturday 12th October. Further information and booking are available here.