Southampton - Once again the Center Stage at Southampton Cultural Center (Levitas Center for the Arts) has presented a top rate and wonderful production under the always brilliant direction of Michael Disher with "Other People's Money."

Kasia Klimiuk as Kate and Daniel Becker as Larry in "Other People's Money." (All performance photos courtesy of Tom Kochie)

"Other People's Money" (The Ultimate Seduction) is a darkly humorous cautionary tale involving a Wall Street corporate raider and his attempt to acquire the 81-year-old New England Wire & Cable Company. He finds himself in the fight of his life against the tenacious company chief executive, an unpredictable assistant and an attractive New York attorney who takes the attempted business conquest personally.

Lawrence Garfinkle, a/k/a "Larry the Liquidator," (Daniel Becker) is looking for the next big score in 1989, and puts his sights on a publicly traded, family owned company that is run by Andrew "Jorgy" Jorgenson (Terrance Fiore), a major employer in a small Rhode Island town.

Trying to stave off the hostile takeover, Jorgy hires Kate Sullivan (Kasia Klimiuk), a young and very beautiful lawyer, who also happens to be the daughter of his assistant Bea Sullivan (Mary Ellen Roche). Jorgy mistakenly counts on his young and ambitious general manager William Coles (Seth Hendricks) to also help fight the takeover.

Larry becomes involved in a complicated game of cat-and-mouse with Kate, as each struggles to one-up each other in their fierce quest to become the victor. Neither seems to care an iota for the people involved, expect perhaps the dead presidents on the money, money, money. The unscrupulous Larry manages to manipulate, match wits and wiles with Kate, and as his goal becomes attainable, he must decide which he desires more - the company or the girl.


This is a small cast that reveals a very large and unfortunate circumstance that has affected many family owned, generational companies throughout the country. A modern day David and Goliath story that is delivered by a superb cast, most notably Becker as Larry, 'OPM' is a true portrayal of how ethics, morals and integrity can be rendered meaningless in the fight for the brass ring.

Becker had to memorize approximately 80 pages of dialogue - an extraordinary feat for an extraordinary thespian. He embraces this role, wears it, speaks it and is it! He delivers a knock-out performance and brings to the stage an obvious intellect and understanding of his character that will make many shudder recalling memories of the dismal financial outcome of the 1980s.

Fiore, Hendricks and Becker in scene from 'OPM.'

Becker is a doctor (child psychiatrist) and commented "I never really mix the two (acting and medicine), as I view them completely separate, but I always seem to be asked if I bring traits of one profession to another." When asked how he managed to memorize so much dialogue he commented "I used tape recorders and a lot of rehearsal, but it was certainly a feat to learn it all." A musician as well, Becker rated his preferences as medicine (for the sake of his mother), acting and music, and commented "I do love acting and hope to do it forever." We hope so too!

At Disher's insistence none of the cast watched the successful 1991 drama/romantic comedy film of the same name, starring Danny DeVito, Penelope Ann Miller and Gregory Peck, and Becker indicated "That is not what Michael wanted, he wanted all us to bring ourselves to these roles with no outside influences."

Speaking with Fiore following the performance about his "Jorgy" character he revealed "This guy is a really interesting character. He is stubborn and comes from a rock hard place. A man with no children his company and stockholders are his family, and he is committed to seeing his company stay an American institution."

Fiore and Roche.

Each performer brings talent and skill to this production, and as a New Englander, I must comment on how successfully they employed that distinctive accent, especially Fiore and Hendricks, who is originally from Georgia. Roche is a familiar face in Disher's productions and always delivers a strong performance. Klimiuk embodies the not always attractive zest of a young, ambitious attorney and brings a hardness and coldness to her role very much in keeping with the character. The only suggestion might be to forego the wig as her own hair is far more attractive and appealing.

Director Disher once again deserves a round of applause. Always adept in bringing thought provoking and entertaining productions to this East End stage, "Other People's Money," winner of the Outer Critics Circle Best Off-Broadway Play of 1989, reveals a timeless storyline with terrific performances from an outstanding cast. Congratulations to all.

The stage setting is composed (Bernard Bourchard) and lit (Peter Eilenberg) to perfectly match the dark undertones of the story at hand. It is alway a pleasure to see a live performance at the Levitas Center as the venue immediately establishes a link between the performers and the audience with its intimate and comfortable arrangement. Kudos to stage manager Joey Giovingo, and backstage manager Brendon McHugh for establishing a set that had audience members instantly engaged.

"Other People's Money" will be performed through February 6. Thursday through Saturday performances are at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2:30 p.m. at The Levitas Center for the Arts, 25 Pond Lane, across from Agawam Park in Southampton Village. General admission is $22 and student rate (under 21 with ID) is $10. Group rates are available and reservations are encouraged. For tickets, call Southampton Cultural Center at 631-287-4377 or purchase tickets at www.scc-arts.org.