Alpha ‘Dogs’

Brits, meet Yanks.

Yanks, meet Brits.

"This is our first dramatic stage play," says Jo Cattell, co-founder of the British National Theatre of America and director of "A Night at the Dogs," bowing Tuesday at the College of Southern Nevada's BackStage Theatre. "Part of what we are trying to do is bring different genres of theater from other parts of the world. British is what we started with because it's what we know."

Created by Cattell and two colleagues from Cirque du Soleil's "Love," the troupe that began by performing British pantomime has graduated to "Dogs," getting its U.S. premiere with this company's inaugural straight-play production.

English playwright Matt Charman's debut work, well-received by across-the-pond audiences and critics, is an intense black comedy about a quartet of South London mechanics who go in on a racing syndicate -- "one leg each" -- started by Carl, one of life's losers trying to latch onto any scheme that will turn him into a winner. Among the men present is Carl's smarter brother, who's leery of the project, as Carl tries to persuade him to join them.

"My character means well but makes irrational decisions," says John Brady, who plays Carl. "His kids have left him, and his wife, and he doesn't have much going on in his life. All he really has is his brother and his friends."

Awaiting the arrival of the greyhound (named Sharkey's Necklace) to be delivered by one of the pals, they are instead met by the menacing Paul (nicknamed "Punchy"), their intimidating manager and unexpected fifth member of the syndicate, who quickly reverses the jolly mood, seemingly determined to make someone pay for the apparent rape of his child.

"It's these men who work together, it's constantly about who is the biggest man in the room at any one time," Cattell says. "That sense of what it is to be a man and which one is in control in any situation, how they perceive themselves from a male point of view."

Peppered with quick dialogue and one-liners in the first act, it turns brutally dark in the second act. "There are a few problems with the plot and tone in that Charman seems uncertain quite how much to let the mood change in the second half," wrote British critic Heather Neill upon seeing a production in 2005. "Nevertheless, there are enough surprises to keep the audience listening intently. ... The undertow of interest in male identity within the family, of filial and paternal responsibility, is beautifully interwoven throughout."

Reviewer Philip Fisher noted that "the comedy can irritate if you aren't a fan of the trotters and the plotting isn't always coherent, but Matt Charman has a distinctive voice."

Stylistically, Cattell says, Charman's play echoes the rhythms and family dynamics of wildly popular BBC sitcom "Only Fools and Horses," which revolves around two South London brothers and their aging grandfather. While linking a playwright to sitcom inspiration might be considered a slap in America, Cattell says it's a compliment among British critics and audiences, at least about that particular show.

"It was such a highly regarded sitcom, considered so well-written, and his writing is like that. A lot of critics in England mentioned it, saying that if you liked that sitcom, you should see this play."

Still, Fisher suggested in his critique that Charman might want to push his talents further. "He will have to decide before too long whether he wants to pursue fame and a possible small fortune writing sitcoms," Fisher wrote, "or look to the theater in a more serious way."

As lead actor of "Dogs," Brady, an ex-"Le Reve" performer, swaps the theater at Wynn Las Vegas for the considerably cozier BackStage Theatre, a 100-seat venue. "People could reach out and touch you, so I'm a little nervous about it," Brady says. "But I'm getting older, so I can't keep doing acrobatics for too long. And everybody told me it would be a perfect play for me because I'm from East London, not from a wealthy background. I get the humor, I've got the accent."

Given that this is his debut on a Las Vegas community theater stage, we'll keep the introductions simple:

Actor, meet audience.

Audience, meet actor.

Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256.