Deborah Margolin’s Imagining Madoff, the play about a meeting between Bernard Madoff and an influential investor in one of his many funds, had a well received reading at Theater J last spring, and was then chosen to open its upcoming season. However, when Elie Wiesel, who was depicted as the investor, threatened legal action, calling the play “defamatory” and “obscene,” the play was withdrawn.
A rewritten version has now opened for a short run at Stageworks in Hudson, New York. Ted Scheinman, sent by City Paper to see the work, reports that the Wiesel character has been replaced by Solomon Galkin, “a fictional character who shares certain aspects of Wiesel’s resumé (Holocaust survivor; poet; depositor of funds in Madoff’s Ponzi scheme).” You can read his review here.
Since there is a lot of interest in this play here in Washington – and, having attended that first reading, I can say it is well deserved – we asked the playwright about its future. She wrote “I’m not certain right now about the next step in the journey of this play, but promise to keep you posted. I am excited about the production in Hudson, I think it is beautifully acted and directed, and has given me the honor of seeing the play on its feet. The play and I have grown from this production ..”
On August 28th, Theater J’s seven play season opens with Willy Holtzman’s Something You Did. But next season? “we’ll see what happens next.” Margolin adds.
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