THE GAMBLER

The Gambler is an adaptation for the stage of Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1866 novella, The Gambler. It is a satirical drama about addictive gambling, set in the fictional European casino city of Roulettenburg.The play follows the fluctuating fortunes of Aleski, a 25-year-old Russian tutor, at roulette and in his romance with Polina, the step daughter of the indebted general Zagoryansky.While the play is set in 19th-century Europe, its lessons are universal - and apply especially to contemporary Australia, where we are witnessing the growing social costs of our new casino culture.