When Mugsy first speaks at the start of Act 3, I would make “the” drawn out almost making the end of it into an “err” before saying “hospital for poker casualties is just along the road,” dropping the “h” of “hospital” and emphasising “just”. When Stephen then says, “Mugsy will show you the way,” I would snarl at him, and slouch a bit in my chair, as though upset and child-like. When announcing what the next game would be, I would pause after “And the game,” as though building up the suspense. I would subsequently say, “Is Mugsy’s Nightmare,” in a breathy and quiet voice, with squinting eyes, sitting upright and looking down on everyone out of the corners of his eyes, as though Mugsy thought himself superior. When saying that Stephen does not like Mugsy’s Nightmare, I would say it childish like, as though defensive after his game had been attacked, and therefore I would reply with a playground retort. When announcing that it is Dealer’s Choice, it would also be childish and defensive as though Mugsy were hurt that someone did not want to play the game that he invented. Finally when whilst dealing, I would have a quiet, plaintive tone in my voice when saying “out?” for the last time, and I would again be childish when saying “Ooo” making it quite high-pitched.
I would deal the cards very precisely, and not very quickly, leaning a long way over the table each time, so that they were near to each person, rather than everyone else leaning in to collect their cards. When I would be explaining the rules of Mugsy’s Nightmare, I would run through them very quickly almost annoyed that I had to announce them, just because Mugsy knows them so well. After that when saying, “You lose automatically,” I would have a slightly threatening tone in my voice. When Ash says, “pass,” I would again act disappointed, as though one of the big boys did not want to play with me, and slouch somewhat, but then perk up when Carl calls, and do a little jump in my seat, returning Mugsy to an upright seating position, with a big grin on my face. When saying, “No raise from the dealer,” I would try and compose myself beforehand, and act calm, although failing miserably showing that really I was ebullient.
Whilst dealing the cards to the other actors, I would draw the card from the top of the pack very quickly slamming it onto the table, prior to announcing what it is, and pausing a little before dealing the next card. When saying, “Double deemonds,” I would act as though it was a very rare and great thing to get to successive diamonds, emphasising it by shouting “deemonds” like a football supporter, and in a football-like chant. I would suddenly change after this and calm down to say, “Jack to speak,” softly and controlled. When saying “Ooo” in reply to Sweeney, again it would be childish and playground-like. After dealing the next lot of cards, I would again be excited and say, “What is it,” inquiringly as Mugsy is starting to think that he is going to win.
When replying to Sweeney’s question of “Can we play cards,” I would again be bubbly, and pause after “We can,” and I would then look around when saying “dunno about you,” emphasising “you” and laughing loudly. When no one else laughs, I would look at the table briefly, before remembering to deal the next cards. When Frankie gets annoyed with Mugsy, I would say “Suicide king you lose automatically,” condescendingly, as though he should have remembered the rules, and known better than to question. To emphasise that he ought to have known better, I would start the sentence frowning, then start to shake my head, finishing with wide eyes, and shut mouth as though thinking “what can I do,” and taking a heavy breath. This would again be Mugsy acting as though he was in charge just because he was dealing. In reply to Sweeney’s anger, I would speak quietly, but excitedly, and bending over the table I would start to bounce on my chair. On dealing myself the final card I would say “Four of hearts,” ebulliently, and bouncing up and down on my seat. I would pause, as though I had won, and on realising that I had to put money into the centre, I would try and overcome this thrill, and act normally, although not quite managing to do so.
When Sweeney puts all of his money into the centre of the table. I would pause before saying “Call” calmly, with my elbows on the table and my chin resting on my hands. I would have one fist clenched, and the other resting on top of it, with my chin above that. This would again be Mugsy’s way of trying to think that he is the “Big cheese”. I would subsequently lean slowly over the table to put the money into the centre, maintaining eye contact with him, and trying to suppress Mugsy’s thrilled emotions. I would say, “five tens,” as though Mugsy himself were amazed, quite high pitched, and softly. To justify the five tens, I would talk in a “laddish” tone I would pause after saying “my son,” and emphasise “four wilds” with a smug smile. Whilst maintaining eye contact, I would throw my cards onto the table.
On learning of winning, I would punch the air and jump out of the seat to say “Yes,” and emphasise that he was “roasted like a kipper”. I would sweep the money in hurriedly whilst talking, and get more and more excited when saying that the “Mug is back,” detaching each of these words. Following this when Mugsy is let down when questioned if he won, I would say, “no,” really disappointedly, and pause before suddenly saying “but I’m on the way” in a rushed and hopeful manner. On realising that it is Sweeney who is really badly off, I would say as kindly as possible, “What d’you have, Sween?” making it obvious that Mugsy just does not know when to shut up, or indeed what to say in tense situations. When he says that he had a “flush,” I would raise my eyebrows, and look at him in disbelief before going back to counting my chips, putting them into piles, and followed by playing with the tablecloth.
b) Mugsy is a simple character, which although liked by the others is pitied quite a lot. He does not really have much of a life outside of this weekly poker game, and he depends heavily on it. In this particular game he wants to win more than ever so that he can start up his own business. It is obvious however that he would never be able to run such a business on his own, or even with a partner. Mugsy thinks that Carl wants to be his partner in this venture, however Carl only wants the money as he owes Ash a lot of money, and so thinks that by borrowing money of his father, he will be able to repay Ash. Mugsy is therefore going to be exploited by Carl if he does win, but he is continually treated in this way.
Stephen refers to him quite harshly in the play as a “half-wit,” a “cretin,” a “bloody idiot,” a “freak mutation,” being “bull-headed stupid,” but also as “straight,” and “psychotically alive”. This shows that Stephen does have some respect for Mugsy, but knows that it would be impossible to help fund a restaurant, as he would never see his money returned. Furthermore, the proposed plans for the restaurant are also absurd: a lavatory in the Mile End Road. Converting this loo into a restaurant would be very expensive, and Mugsy does not realise that the busy Mile End Road does not mean more passing trade, as people are very unlikely to stop on such a road. This again shows how he has no real idea about what he is proposing, and it would therefore not be a remotely successful restaurant, but Mugsy likes the illusions of power and self-control that emerge when he thinks that he will be his own boss. He even refers to himself as his “own best friend” and that “I’m on my side”. This seems the solution to any potential problems that would arise, although he could not really be further from the truth, as he needs someone else to help look after him.
Mugsy does not realise how other people view him, mainly because he is too carefree to notice, but also because he is too simple to become conscious of this. Mugsy throughout makes absurd comments, which highlight his stupidity, and these are then justified further by the others’ comments about him. When talking about his restaurant plans to Sweeney and Frankie on page 16, Sweeney and Frankie began to “weep,” and beg Mugsy to “please…tell us where it is”. Mugsy is even unable to see their sarcasm, and succumbs to their mocking plaintive appeals. He wants to show them that he is a big boy now, when actually he is still very child like.
Mugsy even sums his own life up without knowing it when he says that he is “a good loser,” and that is his problem: he loses far too often, as he is “a mug”. He asks the others whether or not he is “a mug,” as he is unable to see for himself. He is obviously a compulsive gambler as are all the others, but he likes to think of himself as above the others at times, in particular when he is proud that he “invented” Mugsy’s Nightmare, and he also thins that he has “all evening to take their money”. One of the few times when he actually talks about himself consciously is when he says that he does “go on a bit sometimes,” but his “relentless inability to recognise his own inadequacies” means that he won’t see his incapability to run his own business. He just wants to be like the others, and thinks that he “knows how to handle a business situation,” and that he “will steal your trade” referring to Stephen’s restaurant. He even has ideas to “make my restaurant teetotal,” which is possibly the most idiotic thing to make a restaurant in the Mile End Road, however Mugsy thinks that it will make his restaurant original, the main reason being that most other teetotal restaurants have gone bankrupt through lack of custom.
I would therefore play Mugsy as a child, as his character is a very simple one, shown most powerfully if, like a child, he changes between extreme emotions very quickly. The reality of it is that Mugsy does not really have anything exciting in his life to look forward to, except poker, and so exaggerates his behaviour a lot to make his life seem interesting. I would play him as though he thinks himself superior too, as Mugsy is a character who has no real status or indeed respect, and so tries to muster as much self importance as possible whenever and wherever possible.
