Imagining Madoff NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (52)
See it if Beautifully written, directed and extremely well acted play. This show is ready to be moved to Broadway with very little changes.
Don't see it if Bernie Madoff is an uncomfortable topic, then this is not your play.
See it if you’d like to experience a deep, imaginative exploration of what leads “great” men to deceive the people that trust them.
Don't see it if you only like traditional plays: This one plays with the form. Read more
See it if a sophisticated character study revealed through the interactions of Bernie Madoff and the poet survivor of the Holocaust who he swindled
Don't see it if you are looking for light entertainment or don't like philosophical plays
See it if I didn’t want to connect with Madoff but I’m glad I did. This play is a life lesson and touches deeply. It’s well worth an evening.
Don't see it if It is a close look at the lives feelings beliefs of three people and makes you question and discover. It’s not fluff.
See it if You are interested in explorations of morality, and the breadth of moral responsibility, in light of Madoff’s crimes.
Don't see it if Spending 90 minutes with a reprehensible person is more than you can bear. Read more
See it if Quite a performance by Jeremiah Kissel in particular, but all three actors were excellent.
Don't see it if You have no interest in reliving the Madoff scandal. Read more
See it if You enjoy plays about current events
Don't see it if You prefer fluff
See it if you still marvel at how one human being can be so horrendous and are curious about what makes a person like that tick.
Don't see it if you're overdosed on Madoff or are looking for new information. It's an almost compassionate look at one of the great villains of our time.
Critic Reviews (11)
4/5 Stars "Eleven years after Madoff's crimes were uncovered, playwright Deb Margolin's beautifully crafted, powerfully acted reflection on greed and guilt resonates keenly."
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"An uncomfortable exploration of the psyche of Bernie Madoff…Director Jerry Heymann delivers a serviceable production of a challenging script…Unfortunately the play feels too aimless to be satisfying."
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"The show is not docu-theater. Unfortunately, the change also undermined the stakes by pitting a real villain against a made-up victim — especially one who feels as generic as Galkin...Even at just over 90 minutes, this production, directed by Jerry Heymann, feels baggy at times and takes a while to find its footing...Madoff is forcefully rendered by Mr. Kissel as a brash, vulgar and possibly insecure man, yet he yields little insight into why he did what he did."
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"So engrossing and philosophically lively...The cast of this belated New York City première, directed by Jerry Heymann, is exquisite: as Madoff, Jeremiah Kissel prowls the stage like some eloquent but enigmatic animal; as Galkin, Gerry Bamman pinpoints the tragic intersection of wisdom and obliviousness. And Jenny Allen adds a rich third dimension as Madoff’s secretary, who struggles to presume her own innocence in her testimony at his trial."
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“Remarkable, three-person play...It is an intense and fascinating fictionalized view of Bernie Madoff, the man behind the Ponzi scheme that devastated countless people's financial fortunes...The play's scenes shift deftly between Madoff's prison cell, the study of Solomon Galkin, and the witness stand where his secretary testifies...An outstanding piece of theatre...Audience members get a close up perspective of the drama and tension of the story.”
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"Margolin's play delves into the mind of a notorious criminal and comes up with not much at all...The Madoff presented by Margolin is garrulous and more than a little loutish, filled with conversation that only circles the ugly, uncomfortable questions that continue to hover, unanswered...Instead of confronting the everyday facts of Madoff's wrongdoing, the play is marked by a constant reaching for symbols and allusions that often seem weirdly off-topic."
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"Putting her imagination into overdrive, Margolin sets the Ponzi prince inside a three-character drama...She's created a moving figure in Galkin and even more of a riveting tough in the focal Madoff...Anyone telling me that Kissel’s performance—directed for all he’s worth by Jerry Heyman—isn’t one of the absolute best on a Manhattan stage right now will have an argument on his or her hands...It’s here, ripe and raw for the rest of our theatergoers’ imaginations."
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"Margolin’s somewhat stiff though entertaining three-character fantasia...Jenny Allen is entrancing...Ms. Allen exquisitely provides comic relief and an innocent everywoman perspective with her aching sincerity...Jeremiah Kissel swaggering in a power suit gleefully gives us the ballsy Madoff we desire...Margolin’s thoughtful dialogue is often amusing, the characters are vividly drawn, and the structure is a simple framework that gets stale due to the lack of plot."
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