Review: HOUSE OF GAMES, Hampstead Theatre
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
“What do you know about the world? You’re a voyeur. You write books, do this listening shit... Me, I hang out with these fellas at the House of Games, and it’s so real I feel like I’m in a movie.”
In Ashley-Martin Davis’ cleverly designed split-screen set, we open on Billy Hahn (Oscar Lloyd) in the middle of a session with high-flying, Harvard-trained psychoanalyst Margaret Ford (Lisa Dillon). Bright, sharp, and just a little dull and clinical, the office mirrors exactly where Margaret is in life: successful on the outside, but yearning for something more. Billy, battling gambling, sex and drug addiction, claims he’s trying to get better, though he’s sceptical of Margaret’s ability to help. He insists she lacks real-life experience and that growing up sheltered and privileged has made her more of a spectator than a participant. He confesses he’s in deep trouble, owing $25,000 to a man named Mike who runs a gambling den known as the House of Games.
In search of new material for her next book - and perhaps a new way of seeing the world - Margaret heads to the House of Games, plunging into a world she never could have imagined.
The House of Games stands in stark contrast to her life and practice: grimy, grey and chaotic. It’s everything she’s not and everything she wants to understand. Here, she meets a ragtag group of grifters: Mike (Richard Harrington), the charismatic, Al Pacino-meets-George Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven type ringleader; Bobby (Andrew Whipp), the hopeless bartender; Joey (Robin Soans), the elderly conman who reels in the marks; and George (Sion Tudor Owen), the brash but endearing distractor. Before long, Margaret is swept up in Mike’s charm and the rush of deception.
What follows is like a Russian doll of cons - every twist revealing another game. We’re taken on a journey with Margaret, constantly questioning whether we’re watching the con unfold or being conned ourselves. The production is buoyed by strong performances, particularly from Dillon, Harrington, and Lloyd. Dillon and Harrington’s chemistry is palpable, drawing us in even as their dynamic grows more unsettling.
Still, there are moments when the suspension of disbelief is stretched. For a Harvard-educated, published psychoanalyst and novelist, Margaret comes across as surprisingly naive. While her surrender to Mike’s charisma is understandable, it’s hard to reconcile her early sharpness with how quickly she becomes entangled. We’re left wondering - are the con artists really that clever, or are the marks just that foolish?
The twists, though entertaining, are often predictable, especially the final reveal, which feels a little shaky in both writing and execution. There are also moments that land a bit too on the nose - notably the ending, when Margaret pockets her assistant Kathleen’s (Joanna Brookes) bracelet, a not-so-subtle sign of her newfound love for con artistry.
Ultimately, this adaptation of House of Games at the Hampstead Theatre doesn’t break new ground, but it is slick, pacy and enjoyable. If not quite revelatory, it still makes for an entertaining night at the theatre.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Aleeza Humranwala
House of Games plays at London’s Hampstead Theatre until 7 June, with further info here.
