The Gin Game

It takes vivid imagination and special skill for a playwright to skew the

laws of probability. Tom Stoppard did it when Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern

flipped coins 92 times and they always came up heads. Even earlier, D. L.

Coburn did it when quiet, unassuming senior citizen Fonsia Dorsey (Paula

Scrofano) won every Gin Rummy game against bombastic Weller Martin (John

Reeger).

Coins. Cards. What clever use of commonplace items spurs plot and reveals

character.

Even before “The Gin Game” opens, we see an old man silently shuffle

around the stage, grumpily tiding up and showing little regard for

property by tossing a child’s toy into a wastebasket.  Every gesture and

facial expression show Martin’s distaste. We are in a retirement

community, and while we will only meet two residents, the set cleverly

reveals a broader picture. A wide glass door at the back reveals filmed

scenes of the facility. Initially, they are static: a bedroom, a community

hall, and corridors.  Later, they become populated with inhabitants

dancing, eating by bringing trembling forks to their mouths, and working

at crafts. Intermittently, we not only see them, but hear the music

accompanying their limited activities — including  “Happy Birthday.”\

Martin and Dorsey command the foreground in a lounge porch area where they

strike up an acquaintance after she enters and bursts into tears. In a

gesture of friendship, Martin offers to teach Dorsey a card game.  He is

initially dominant as he deals each hand of Gin Rummy, loudly slapping

down each card as he counts them out. She is far more polite and soft

spoken. Either Dorsey is a quick learner, or amazingly lucky as day-after

day she wins hand-after-hand — creating a fascinating juxtaposition.

First, she seems amazed  (“beginner’s luck”), then a bit guilty about her

success, but ultimately grows more and more assured. What a fine way to

reveal character and show the building anger and frustration of the loser

as contrasted against the increased confidence of the winner. As they

play, they probe each other and learn backgrounds. Why doesn’t either have

company on visitor’s day?  Initial exchange of facts morphs into a

battleground as they begin to parry verbal blows of belittlement. Harsh

moments mix with tender moments. Best of all, however, the drama cleverly

avoids potential “happily-ever-after” clichés.

Scrofano and Reeger — married thespians — are outstanding in their roles

and received a standing ovation. They follow in the footsteps of another

married pair of actors: Hume Cronin and Jessica Tandy whose Broadway

production, directed by Mike Nichols, deservedly won a Pulitzer Prize for

Drama in 1978 and was nominated for four Tony Awards. Others cast as the

sparring pair have included Charles Durning and Julie Harris; E.G.

Marshall and Maureen Stapleton, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, and

James Earl Jones and Cecily Tyson.

This play deserves to be seen more than once — at specific life stages —

gaining impact each time, as an older audience may feel growing empathy

with the characters.

Beverly Friend, PHD. Member, American Theater Critics Assn.