A Complex Tale of Good v. Evil

“Imagining Madoff” reveals three very different conversations about the collapse of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme: the secretary pleading her ignorance, the victim extending his trust, and the culprit humanizing his actions to an invisible biographer.

Jeremiah Kissel portrays Bernard Madoff richly, capturing the magnetic appeal of a salesman and the vulgarity of a manipulator.  He is a man at times too crass to be likeable and at times sympathetic as his guilt briefly overcomes him.  He brags about his ability to lie, lasciviously describes killing and eating a salmon, calls his sons “soft,” and then smiles with his whole face, the corners of his eyes crinkling in joy as he tells another off-color joke.  The fundamental complexity and success of the character hinges on the actor’s ability to appear both amoral and trustworthy; Kissel does both perfectly.

Joel Colodner as Solomon Galkin, a Holocaust-survivor and poet, with his stoicism and passion for literature and religion complements Kissel’s Madoff.  Though ultimately framed as a good versus evil discussion, Galkin’s character is also appropriately multi-dimensional.  He shares passages from the Torah, modestly discusses his own flaws and his belief that purely moral men do exist, but ultimately begs Madoff to take him on as a client.  Playwright Deborah Margolin gives the audience many gestures to appreciate in Galkin.  At one point, for example, he spills some scotch on the table and comments that good scotch should be left to evaporate; it should not be wiped up.

Adrianne Krstansky, as Madoff’s nameless secretary, plays a necessary, but obvious, role.  Her character reminds the audience of the non-abstract: the trial and the legal implications of Madoff’s guilt.  Her role serves to break-up the heavy, philosophical discussions led by Galkin. 

New Rep’s Black Box Theater lends intimacy to the performance.  Set designer Jon Savage creates a canopy of books, spilling over onto the floor behind Galkin’s study.  The books reinforce Galkin’s presence, the overbearing company of spirituality and history, the weight of truth hanging over all of the characters, tapering out over Madoff’s cell.

In addition to the skill of the cast, “Imagining Madoff” is successful because of its lack of answers, its lack of redemption or accusations for Madoff.  The performance instead raises the complex narrative of questions and history lying beneath the surface of a trial.  

--Victoria Petrosino, New Rep Reviewer