The Gin Game

The Gin Game is a tromp through the emotional landscape of two people in a nursing home playing harmless games of Gin Rummy to pass the time — harmless as a heart attack. The multiple Tony-nominated, Pulitzer Prize winning play has been performed since the 1970’s, first by Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, then Charles Durning and Julie Harris on Broadway, and released on PBS starring Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke.  What keeps actors licking their chops to sink their teeth into the succinct roles is the chance to portray depth and layers in these characters who transition before your eyes as secrets are revealed.