Bristol Riverside Theatre recently opened its 2024-25 theatre season with The Gin Game by Donald L. Coburn’s. This Pulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy is set in a nursing home game room and takes place at Bristol’s The Regency Room, a pop-up black-box theatre that BRT is using while its main stage is being renovated.
The 90-minute show features award-winning artistic producer and actor Keith Baker as Weller, and Barrymore Award winner Zuhairah McGill as Fonsia. Below, Keith talks about the show, the theatre, and some of his favorite games.
Tickets here.
Q: Tell us a bit about your character, Weller, and his role in The Gin Game.
A: I play Weller Martin, an elderly man who has been placed in an old age home much against his will. He has charm and humor, though mostly sarcastic. He’s led a life in which he has been defeated at every turn both personally and professionally. The title of the production is a metaphor for life. Weller is the dealer of the game as we all are the ‘dealers’ of our own lives. Through the game, we see the lives of the two characters in the play unravel and reveal the humanity underneath.
Q: Were you familiar with this play before joining the cast?
A: I have known of this play for some time. It was written in 1978 and played on Broadway and around the world.
Q: Why did you want to be a part of this production?
A: I passionately wanted to do this play, not only for its own quality, but it provides for an older actor, one of the great roles in American theater.
Q: Nearby event space, The Regency Room, will hold this season’s opener. What transformations were made to turn it into a black box theatre setting?
A: The entire Regency Room has been miraculously transformed into what is an Off-Broadway stage. I didn’t expect it to be as beautifully done as the BRT designers and crew have done it.
Q: You held the position of artistic director at BRT for 28 years- what do you think makes this theatre so unique? Why should people come see a production this season?
A: The production is intimate without being crowded. The lighting, sound, and the playing space simply work beautifully together, any audience would enjoy this experience. BRT has never shied away from complex and challenging material. In an area which had no previous theatrical tradition, BRT has brought the great musicals and the great plays together in one place. It has taken years of cultivation, but BRT stands now in the cultural awareness of its town and audience as a premiere theater, offering the highest quality of productions.
Q: What are some of your favorite card or board games?
A: My favorite board game is chess. My favorite card game is poker.
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