Jennifer Williams as Madame Securite and Stephen Crandall as Valere rehearse a scene from "The Gamester," a production of Nevada Conservatory Theatre. Photo by Ralph Fountain.

If ever there were a group of characters who need a 12-step program of some sort, it's those in Freyda Thomas' play, "The Gamester," a Nevada Conservatory Theatre production opening today at Judy Bayley Theatre on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus.

There's the main character, Valere, who belongs in Gambler's Anonymous. But he's not alone in the cast -- everyone seems to have some sort of obsessive-compulsive disorder, ranging from sex and money to food.

Based on Jean-Francois Regnard's 1696 farce "Le Joueur," the play takes place in Paris, but director Michael Lugering and his creative team of set designer Joe Varga, lighting designer Vance McKenzie and costume designer Katrina Hertfelder have applied a contemporary overlay.

The play centers around Valere (Stephen Crandall), who is in love with Angelique (Lisa Easley).

Angelique wants Valere to give up gambling but he's racked up so much debt he can't quit.

Valere's father, Thomas (Michael Tylo), is rich enough to give him the cash he needs, but he won't until Valere quits gambling.

Complicating the story are Madame Securite (Jennifer Williams), a woman who will have sex with any man no matter what age, and Dorante (Steve Peterson), an old man who spends his time chasing after the much younger Angelique.

In the second act, the scene shifts to a casino, the set of which is decorated with neon, where there are disguises and misunderstandings typical of a French farce.

Obviously, the play has some local interest, and Lugering has played those up. While preparing the production, he contacted the playwright by phone.

"She asked me where I was from and when I told her Las Vegas, she said, 'I knew you'd call.' It really is a new play, based on an old play. The subject matter is contemporary. The costumes are period but the fabrics are contemporary. It's old clothing with a new feel."

Although the plot takes several twists and turns, the way a farce should, and was written in iambic pentameter, Lugering says "The Gamester" is not difficult to follow.

"I don't think the plot is confusing, compared to other comedy plots," Lugering says. "The difficulty for us was striking a balance between the heightened language (of the original play) and contemporary language. The language is really accessible."

Lugering also added music by local musician Nick Rissman that will be played by a quartet. The score contains baroque-sounding compositions that could have come from Regnard's time, but Rissman also has added contemporary music that's baroque sounding, Lugering says.

Tickets are $25 general admission and $20 for students, seniors, military and handicapped.

Performances continue Oct. 13-16.