Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...Though the wheels on the story turn slowly at first (the direct-address interludes tend to feel like narrative padding), by the second act Sterner's script and Zacek's staging find an absorbing balance and tension. Sure, we know that Lawrence will win. The depressing thought is that what came after him — CDOs, MBSs, and the rest of the toxic alphabet soup that led to the 2008 crash — was even worse. "Other People's Money," however quaint its references to Carl Icahn and Ivan Boesky may seem, remains relevant. As Lawrence presciently notes, "All they do is change the rules. They can't stop the game.""
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Should you have any doubts Sterner’s play (the late writer’s only big hit) deserves a place in the pantheon, Shattered Globe Theater’s production will set you straight as it hits one bull’s-eye after another."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...The comic/erotic byplay has both good and bad effects in Zacek's production for Shattered Globe Theatre. On the one hand, it's plain fun to watch-especially inasmuch as Ben Werling's Garfinkle makes such a charmingly unlikely love object, channeling Rodney Dangerfield while he courts Kate by risking a harassment suit. On the other, it tends to bland out everything around it. Andrew Hildner's set divides neatly between Jorgenson's crummy office at NEW&C and Garfinkle's posher digs in Manhattan, and the sense of vividness divides the same way, mainly because Doug McDade never achieves the combination of biblical anger and human frailty, of stiff-necked rectitude and sudden disorientation, that would make Jorgenson a dramatic as well as a moral force. As things stand, he's just kind of querulous."
Gapers Block - Recommended
"...But the financial world collapsed exactly five years ago this month and taught us a new language: the demise of Lehmann Brothers and AIG--banks that were "too big to fail." That's why Other People's Money has a faint whiff of quaintness. But if you look at it as the 1989 version of a drawing room comedy, you have an enjoyable theater experience in store."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Exquisitely performed by a cast of Shattered Globe ensemble members and one artistic associate, Zacek’s production moves at a quick but comfortable pace. Doug McDade plays business owner Jorgie with a vigor that's furiously trying to hide his fear of an inevitable takeover, but his vulnerability comes through in his scenes with Bea. His brash attitude is a stark contrast to Werlin’s Lawrence, who has a calm, condescending confidence that makes his already physically imposing presence even bigger. This is a man on a steady diet of Dunkin’ Donuts and small businesses, and there’s a sense that he’s always a few steps ahead of his prey."
ShowBizChicago - Recommended
"...Under the direction of Dennis Zacek, the whole cast does well when the battle begins as both sides try to use lawyers, laws and morals to keep a company profitable - one by restructuring (destroying) it and the other by rebuilding it."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...Director Dennis Zacek keeps the tide of events ebbing and flowing between designer Andrew Hildner’s left/right office sets for Larry’s lair and the weathered space occupied by New England Wire and Cable’s headstrong leader, played with curmudgeonly determination by Doug McDade."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Other People’s Money is a still relevant dramatization of the effects on society from the hostile take ever and destruction of American companies. This show demonstrates that, indeed, greed in NOT good unless you’re a stock holder."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The set ( Andrew Hildner) is what appears to be two offices- one, that of the “company” a nuts and bolts working area and the other, that of ”Larry the liquidator” a plush high rent office.W hile they are not really what you might expect, the contrast was there and it served the point without the great expense. Very prudent! The costumes (Sarah Jo White) were pretty plain and simple as well while the sound (Tony Murtishi), lighting (Mac Vaughey) and props ( Vivian Knouse) all added to the final touch of a solid production. This being a story telling experience, it is the story tellers/ the actors who truly make this production work, so let us call them as i saw them."
Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...With the exception of Linda Reiter, the rest of the cast falls short, for otherwise a production of great quality."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...Well if you've seen the play or the movie you KNOW how it all turns out, as I did, but don't let that deter you from experiencing this excellent script skillfully directed by Dennis Zacek and a stellar cast. This is a masterful rendition of a script that goes right to the heart of how capitalism is not about how good guys win in the end. Then again, it's not saying bad guys necessarily win either."
