Review: OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY at Florida Studio Theatre

Other People's Money is about a 1980's hostile corporate takeover of a small profitable Rhode Island company, New England Wire and Cable, that is worth more liquidated than in operation, through the eyes of Garfield Investments savvy president, New Yorker Lawrence Garfinkle (Sam Mossler), aka Larry the Liquidator. NEWC owner Andrew Jorgenson (Colin Lane) is proud of his company, the livelihood it has afforded his long time loyal employees, and the benefits it has contributed to the local community. Unfortunately his heart of gold and reluctance to keep up with new business practices lands him toe-to-toe with Garfinkle, the Wall Street powerhouse.

When Garfinkle visits Jorgenson's plant and his calculated business talk doesn't convince Jorgenson to close the failing wire and cable division, NEWC's president Bill Coles (Joe Ditmyer) warns Jorgenson of Garfinkles's takeover intentions. Jorgenson vows to prevent the company's liquidation. Because they cannot reach an agreement Garfinkle proceeds with a hostile takeover. Jorgenson decides to let his stockholders make the decision and challenges Garfinkle to a debate at the next stockholders meeting. Jorgensen asks his long time assistant and companion, Bea Sullivan (Perri Gaffney) to solicit her daughter Kate's (Nehassaiu deGannes) assistance. Kate is a perceptive attorney who steps in to manage the situation. When she meets with Garfinkle, he is enamored with her but they stick to business even though he uses a bit of suggestive charm from time to time that just would not fly in today's #METOO movement.

The cast held it all together with great characterization. Mr. Mossler stole the show as the Wall Street tycoon Lawrence Garfinkle. I saw a touch of Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street in him. He played his character with a suave and charming appeal, and although he was the "bad guy", you wanted him to win. Colin Lane played the owner of the targeted company with a passion that really burst when he met before the stockholders to state his case for his company. His monologue was fierce. Mr. Ditmyer played NEWC company president with and angst of being torn between what was right for the company and what was right for him personally. His haunting line. "who's looking after me", has to be on everybody's mind at some point in their life. Ms Gaffney played Jorgenson's companion and Kate's mother with compassion and understanding. She showed money was not her first love when offering Garfinkle her one million dollar earnings for him to walk away. Ms Degannes played the sharp attorney and somewhat distanced daughter of Bea with spark. She held her own playing opposite the larger-than-life character Mr. Mossler gave to Garfinkle.

This is not a poorly written play - this play is dated. Written in 1989 with a movie by the same name in 1991 it's almost trivial and often annoying. Although many films or plays that have aged over time remain current in some ways, I don't feel this one does. It so depicts that period of time in which it was written where corporate takeover was new and shocking and male dominance and female subservience was swept under the table. Today, corporate take over is an every day transaction and women are finally coming in to their own. The long diatribes over figures and calculations are annoying. I found myself trying to follow along with the onslaught of numbers, percentages and investment verbiage, and was distracted enough to drift away from this play altogether. Although the play itself did not hold my interest, the cast did. And that is what fine acting is all about.

For more information about Florida Studio Theatre, visit www.floridastudiotheatre.org.

Photo Credit: Matthew Holler

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