Photo Flash: Ben Rimalower Celebrates Opening of New Solo Show BAD WITH MONEY

BAD WITH MONEY - Ben Rimalower's new play about spending beyond his means - has extended through December 2014 due to strong ticket sales. Previously scheduled to close on November 6, the show will be performed through December 18. Ben's addiction has driven him to extreme lengths all his life. In BAD WITH MONEY he charts his sometimes hilarious, sometimes harrowing struggle to overcome his problem - or get rich trying. Written and performed by Ben Rimalower and directed by Aaron Mark, BAD WITH MONEY is being performed at The Duplex (61 Christopher Street at Seventh Avenue) on Thursday nights at 9:30 PM.

Rimalower's first solo show, the long-running hit Patti Issues, explored his obsession with Broadway diva Patti LuPone and his relationship with his troubled gay father. Bad with Money delves into even deeper personal territory with the story of his struggle with debt-a journey that takes him through drug addiction, prostitution, fraud and multiple betrayals.

In this gripping play-by-play of some his biggest mistakes and their consequences, Rimalower offers a no-holds-barred self-portrait of an addict, and casts light on one of the last societal taboos. "People tend to be familiar now with alcohol and drug addiction-and I've got those too," the writer-performer says. "But spending money I don't have is really my drug of choice. And considering how many people suffer from the same problem, it's staggering how seldom it's discussed."

When Ben's debut play Patti Issues opened in 2012, it became a must-see show in the downtown theater scene, ultimately running for 14 months and garnering praise from attendees such as Alan Cumming, Tony Kushner, Michael Kors, Justin Vivian Bond, Perez Hilton and Ms. LuPone herself. ("The show's fantastic," she said. "It's really wonderful. I was moved.") The New York Times praised Patti Issues for its "well-honed script with an engagingly spontaneous delivery and a nose for sharp, observational comedy." It was hailed as "endearing, drolly written and performed with heaps of charisma" (The New Yorker) and "meticulously scripted and executed, with poignant punch lines that deliver laughs, emotion and insight" (Time Out New York). Rimalower has performed Patti Issues in Australia, Germany and Great Britain, as well as across the country in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Miami Beach, Provincetown, Fire Island and more.

BAD WITH MONEY will be performed at The Duplex (61 Christopher Street at Seventh Ave, New York, NY 10014) on Thursdays at 9:30 PM throughDecember 18. Tickets are $25 (with $50 VIP tickets available) and are on sale at PurplePass.com or (800) 316-8559. There is a two-drink minimum per person. You must be at least 21 years old to attend.

Photos Courtesy of Michael Portantiere Photography