Gambling, at the Soho Theatre April 2, 2010
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : Reviews , add a commentWhat’s going through the mind of the compulsive gambler? Is it desire for the money, the thrill, what? Gambling, a short performance piece by Raz Shaw and Georgina Lamb at the Soho Theatre, draws on Shaw’s personal experience of gambling addiction.
Three actors, Amanda Lawrence, Sean Campion and Will Mannering, using dance and spoken word, to explain what goes on in the mind of a gambler, and its not really about the winning. Gambling is sex, and the foreplay is a big part of the thrill, with the winning or losing as the climax. Lawrence almost mimes masturbation as she extracts coins from her cup of money to put them into the machine. The machine is a comfortable competitor, where everything is just right, and she dances with it, and is sure she’ll beat it.
The performance is only an hour long, and I left a little wiser, but wishing that they had taken extra time to explore some of the ideas further. Each of the characters could be a whole play in itself. It’s bright and flashy, with some insights, but, like gambling, a little hollow.
Gambling plays at the Soho Theatre until 10 April.
