Dostoevsky wrote his 1866 novella, The Gambler, in 30 days to pay off his own gambling debts, having wagered the publishing rights of his past and future works on the book’s completion. It’s hard to imagine the frantic toil of such an endeavour. But watching this adaptation from Kyoto-based company, Chiten Theatre, will give you a taster: it is a dizzying, challenging 90 minutes – especially for those not familiar with the plot.
Constructed from fragments of Dostoevsky’s text – which charts the ricocheting financial and romantic fortunes of roulette addict Alexei Ivanovich, and the family he tutors for – it is delivered in Japanese at largely break-neck speed, subtitles vying for attention with a spinning set, kooky dancing and a cast that bang billiard balls on a central table before they speak. The thrashings of onstage rock trio, Kukangendai, adds to the theatrical onslaught.
