Review: House of Games, Hampstead Theatre

Based on David Mamet’s 1987 film script, House of Games returns to the stage at Hampstead Theatre in Richard Bean’s 2010 adaptation, originally seen at the Almeida. 

Dr Margaret Ford (Lisa Dillon) is a successful psychiatrist and bestselling author who stumbles across a group of conmen led by Mike (Richard Harrington). She slowly gets sucked into their world having decided this would make a good subject for her second book. As she explores their lives and learns about the scams and how the men view this part of the American dream, a suitcase full of money and a sudden act of violence upend her life, dragging her further in than she ever imagined.  

There is the expected Mamet sharp wit and sarcasm in the script and some slight updates, perhaps simply more relevant at the moment to making ‘deals’ with a slight pause for a knowing laugh. The humour, while providing some funny moments, often undermines what little tension there is, leading to a tonal inconsistency. The main issue is that there are almost no surprises. Each con is obvious, and you can feel the audience’s disengagement and occasionally mocking reactions floating around slightly too loudly. It leaves the evening feeling shallow. The exaggerated roles the conmen act out are indistinguishable from the characters themselves, leaving no room for ambiguity or surprise. The cast unfortunately don’t have the ensemble chemistry together to bring us into the group at all.  

Some of the cast are individually solid. Andrew Whipp is a standout as Bobby, the brainless Hell’s Angel bartender, with some of the biggest laughs coming from him and the other characters’ reactions to his dim-wittedness and droll line delivery. However, as a whole, there is little chemistry or connection, in particular, between Margaret and Mike. Their relationship is entirely flat: no emotional or erotic tension, nothing for the audience to buy into. This really diminishes the character of Margaret, a smart and intelligent woman, when each con, each line from Mike, is so obvious that there is no reason for her to buy into any of this. It undermines the character substantially and leaves us wondering why she ends up drawn in.  

The inconsistent tone is where the play stumbles most. Bean clearly has a natural ear for comedy, but here it feels misplaced. The needed claustrophobic tension is swapped for winking ensemble scenes and a brusqueness that leaves no room for any psychological heft. There’s little tension on stage; each scene just moves along, and the stakes never feel real, whether in blood or in money. At no point is there any real sense of danger, even when the guns appear. 

Where House of Games does excel is in stage design. Designer Ashley Martin-Davis receives gasps from the audience as the show begins and the full set is revealed. Director Jonathan Kent and lighting designer Peter Mumford start the evening by showing us just how they have conned the audience, the dual location working beautifully and looking fantastic. The gasps show how they’ve got us and how high the bar is set for the evening, but after this, it never quite lives up to the promise. There is also a nice contrast in the dark, grimy bar and the well-lit, cream, very clean office.  Despite flashes of wit and a striking set, House of Games never grips. The cons fall flat, the tension never shows up, and the central relationship lacks spark. It wants to draw us in, but this con lacks the charm, stakes or sleight to put their marks on the spot. 

Based on the screenplay by David Mamet
Story by David Mamet and Jonathan Katz
Stage version by Richard Bean
Directed by Jonathan Kent
Design by: Ashley Martin-Davis
Lighting design by Peter Mumford

House Of Games plays at Hampstead Theatre until Saturday 7 June.