The 3.30 at Cheltenham – Viking Theatre – Review
by Frank L.

The 3.30 at Cheltenham –  Written by Kenneth Hudson
Dates: Mon 20 Jan 2025 Sat 1 Feb 2025

“I’ll let you in on a secret: Vegas isn’t the only place you can lose it all, it can happen right here. Paddy Power, Ladbrokes, Pick your poison … all tied to that one vice Gambling” so states the flyer to this production by Gúna Nua Productions. Andrew Williams (Kenneth Hudson) was a sixteen-year-old with no great relationship with his grandfather. One day his grandfather asked him to go down to the bookies to place a bet on the 3.30 at Cheltenham. He does and the horse wins. The grandfather thinks Andrew or Andy is great and Andy thinks he is lucky. So begins the downward path of Andy which he then describes as he chases the impossible win.

Andy is centre stage the entire time and his grandfather, elder brother Eddie, acquaintance Shylock and various other incidental characters are played by Darragh Conway. Hudson gives a fast-talking command performance as he charts Andy’s gradual decline from a barman to criminality as he needs to feed his addiction. He uses a variety of accents as he engages with various individuals and describes the highs and lows of watching a race on television as his hopes and dreams rise, but sadly, all too often end in ruin. Similarly, Hudson engages you with the excitement of the black and red of the roulette wheel. Hudson keeps you gripped while Conway provides the necessary foil to allow Hudson to dominate with the inevitable decline of the addicted Andy.

The set on one side consists of a domestic space with a variety of chairs, bookshelves, and clutter that you might see in any bedroom or sitting room in a suburban house. What it provides is the normality of the space, which is the backdrop to Andy’s growing addiction.

The production is sponsored by the Gambling Awareness Trust and lasts approximately seventy minutes. Hudson as a writer has created a fine piece of theatre in which he as an actor shows the lonely place an addiction to gambling can lead.

THE 3:30 AT CHELTENHAM

Written By Kenneth Hudson
Starring Darragh Conway & Kenneth Hudson
Directed By Paul Meade

Presented By Gúna Nua Theatre Company