A compelling take on the moral dilemmas in modern finance
Another great review for Dry Powder has been shared by some experts in the field Money Week. The sold-out play ends its run at the Hampstead Theatre on 3rd March.
On one level, this is a tale about the conflict between social responsibility and maximising profit, but it is also about personal competition within a business environment. Atwell steals the show as an ice-cold sociopath who freely tells Seth that she fantasises about him dying, and amuses herself by sticking drawing pins in his head while he is asleep on a plane. By contrast, Riley lends his character a degree of warmth and idealism, without shying away from showing Seth’s flaws, including arrogance bordering on chauvinism, and a fatal unwillingness to put his skin in the game.
At its strongest, Dry Powder is reminiscent of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, if not quite up to that high standard, although the ending is predictable. Still, writer Sarah Burgess and director Anna Ledwich deserve credit for making the world of finance accessible to the wider public without dumbing it down. With only a fortnight left of the run, I recommend London residents make the trip to Swiss Cottage to see Dry Powder before it closes.
