Other People's Money
Other People's Money (1989), a play by Jerry Sterner. [Minetta Lane Theatre, 990 perf.] Lawrence Garfinkle (Kevin Conway) is a smug, uncouth corporate raider, who has set out to take over the conservatively managed, somewhat decrepit New England Wire and Cable Company. The company's chairman, Andrew Jorgenson (Arch Johnson), determines to resist. But the cunning, persistent Garfinkle slowly wins over many stockholders, and, far more surprisingly, he gains the affection of Kate Sullivan (Mercedes Ruehl), who is not only the daughter of Jorgenson's longtime assistant (Scotty Bloch) but also a sharp Wall Street lawyer brought in to fend off Garfinkle. While this incisively written drama succeeded handsomely Off Broadway, a highly praised road company quickly folded. But the play has met further success in regional theatres. It is virtually the only drama to deal with a major economic problem of the decade. Jerry STERNER (1938–2001) was a Bronx native and college dropout. He spent many years in the real estate business and as a Wall Street broker before abandoning it to work full time at playwriting. His first produced play, Be Happy for Me (1986), was a quick failure. The success of Other People's Money promised further hits, but Sterner's premature death intervened.
