After The Applause

As I sit in the balcony of the intimate Donmar Warehouse theatre I am buzzing with excitement. The short synopsis and little information I know about this production made me believe it was the perfect show for me, a mix of dark comedy with moments of deep thought and emotion. However there’s always a possibility that these sort of plays fall flat, maybe due to the cast or a bland set.

Dealer’s choice was potentially the funniest, well designed and greatest play I have had the joy to see, to the point where after I had clapped and cheered, I grabbed my phone and went to see if I could book for the following day!

Patrick Marber’s comedy is celebrating its 30th birthday and so it seemed fitting to put it on. The Donmar is the perfect space for it, due to it’s setting being a small restaurant in London and the set designed by Moi Tran is absolute perfection as in the second half we go from the top of restaurant down to the basement as the floor magically rises and we are now in the middle of a heated poker game. I got goosebumps watching that set rise and everything was designed so seamlessly!

The way the play is structured is brilliant, the first half focuses on the operations of the restaurant as well as establishing the relationships between the six strong cast. Daniel Lapaine is brilliant as the eccentric owner Stephen, mixing moments of humour into agonisingly awkward conversations with his gambling addict son Carl, who is portrayed with so much innocence and emotion by Kasper Hilton-Hille. Their relationship is very intriguing and the pair seem to take the lines and elevate them in every way, playing into the moments of awkwardness and creating a little bit of humour along the roller coaster of their ever developing discoveries about one another. Stephen employs Sweeney as the cook, a man who has to juggle his job and gambling problem with trying to be a good father. Theo Barklem-Biggs is fantastic, he was brilliant in SAS Rogue Heroes as Reg Seekings, and we see similar moments of fury in his performance within the play. He plays his part very well and his relationship with Alfie Allen’s character Frankie is hilarious yet also twisted and it sometimes seems like an extremely toxic relationship. Alfie Allen is a very good actor who does stand out significantly as he silences the audience with his random moment of rage in the second half. The second part of the play is set in the basement as we watch the intense emotions of poker, and we discover the intricate details and inward emotions of the characters.

Brendan Coyle is a real stand out for me, he plays Ash a professional poker player trying to earn his money owed to him by Carl by playing in their secret game in the basement. He is perfect for this role and he has quite a scary and sinister look as he tries to menace the players at the table.

However the person who makes this play so brilliant is the absolutely hillarious Hammed Animashaun. He plays Mugsy a rather idiotic waiter and an even more idiotic poker player, and oh boy does he play it well! From the first line I am already laughing, he has such natural humour and perfect timing and it really shows as the whole audience collectively howl with hilarity as we see him finally win a game of poker. His stage presence is absolutely fabulous and he just ties the play together, it seems with the way its written that if you don’t have a strong actor playing Mugsy the play falls flat. Hammed is, in my opinion, one of the strongest comedic actors you could put on that stage (after having marvelled at him as Bottom in A Midsummer Nights Dream and also in Barber Shop Chronicles) and he is just incredible!

Beneath the comedy is a penetrating layer of questions surrounding masculinity, especially as all the actors are male, it also looks slightly into addiction as well as surpressed male emotion. They are all relevant themes in 2025 and are accentuated further by Marber in a slight rewrite for this production.

MY VERDICT:

It’s hard to write about a play you loved so much because if I could write it all I am afraid you would be scrolling down this review a while! So I am going to keep it as brief as my excited typing hands will let me. I was blown away by every element of this production, it is designed so well, it is performed so well and it was just a fabulous play to witness. The questions it asks are still so relevant and it is worth seeing for the amazing cast alone, they play their characters all to perfection. This production closes on the 7th of June, there are still limited seats available so be quick, take a gamble (get the pun) but I am sure you will love it!!

My Standout performers were:

Brendan Coyle, Hammed Animashaun and Theo Barklem-Biggs

Photos are by Helen Murray