GAMBLING, the latest narrative offering from acclaimed playwright/director/actor JP Allen (Coffee and Language, hailed by Variety as "brilliant") explores the dark spaces between chance, faith, losing, risk and winning.
Raymond (JP Allen) has lost his girlfriend Anna (Mara Luthane) one night in Las Vegas. The first man he sees is a Reverend (played by Clancy Brown, the voice of Spongebob's Mr. Krabs), that he recognizes from the craps table. The Rev offers "Knock and the door shall be opened, seek and ye shall find," and then asks for a 'donation'. Similarly, GAMBLING's multi-layered meanings reveal themselves in the scenes and flashback snatches shared as the story unfolds. ...While seeking assistance from the casino's management, the Manager of Security (played with icy precision by Chopper Bernet) grills Raymond with Mamet-esque decisiveness; you might question the motivation of the parties involved.
Overall, GAMBLING offers a love story baked inside a philosophic question of risk and chance, nestled beneath a blanket of gravy that could be described as dark night locked inside one man's soul. As JP Allen's career continues to rise, chances are you won't want to miss out.
– Alicia R. Perre-Dowd
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