Dealer's Choice review: A stressful high-stakes triumph
1 May 2025, 18:08
Dealer's Choice at the Donmar Warehouse is tense, gripping and funny - a sharp, high-stakes night at the table.
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The play is gripping from the outset. Patrick Marber’s script about an after-work poker club crackles with tension, humour and emotional depth.
The intensity of the show, centred around money and debt, made me glad to not have any interest in gambling!
It’s a small cast, made up of just six. They’re a well-oiled ensemble, but Mugsy, played by Hammed Animashaun, steals every scene he’s in.
Animashaun brings emotional depth and comic relief, with expert timing and vulnerability. He is fast becoming a star of the West End.
The staging is intelligent, allowing two scenes to take place at once. It makes the most of the Donmar’s intimacy, putting the audience right at the table.
It’s a stressful play - stressful in the best way. The stakes feel real and you can almost smell the sweat and the stale coffee.
Poker becomes the perfect metaphor for risk, trust and the games people play with each other - and themselves.
Masculinity, ego and desperation all clash under the fluorescent lights of the basement room.
The ending, while solid, could’ve packed more of a punch.
It’s tight, smart production with real bite - Dealer’s Choice plays its hand well and leaves you on edge.
Dealer's Choice runs at the Donmar Warehouse until June 7.