Ruthless - The Tragic Survival of Ruth Madoff at ARCHES LANE Theatre Battersea Power Station

A theatrical imaging of the true events of Bernard Madoff’s wife of 50 years.

The woman is suffering. She is married to the man, who managed to embezzle USD 65 Billion from every Tom, Dick and Harry. She is married to Bernard L. Madoff. She is Ruth Madoff.

13 years have passed since the scandal shook the world. And since Bernie was locked away for 150 years. Ruth did cut off all contact, yet - she never divorced her childhood sweetheart she married at 18. Now, at 80, with both sons gone - one by suicide, the other by accelerated cancer – lonely, destitute Ruth drifts through the wreckage of her former life, as gone is the status as New York’s First Lady, as gone are luxury and wealth, as gone is her family – as gone is just… everything.

In a daily routine, Ruth gets herself ready for her eternal future in the Garden of Eden. As she prepares breakfast for her this successful, happy family, she abruptly is reminded of her illusionary life - of her tragic loneliness. When the traumatised woman is interrupted by the charm of a young Italian pizza delivery boy, she instantly is fuelled by the vision to leave with him for romantic Venice.

But as Ruth learns of her husband’s demise in prison, her life takes a chaotic turn for the worse: Not only is she relentlessly hounded by paparazzi, but the demons of her past torture her anew. With Ruth’s life breaking apart, she renounces the world on her own - still facing the crucial question: How well did she actually want to know her husband?

RUTHLESS is a fictional play, drawn from the real-life story of this mythical figure. Ruth Madoff, an innocent bystander - or a willing accomplice?

Previews:

Wednesday 28 May, 6.30 pm & Sunday 1 June, 5 pm

Premiere:

Tuesday 3 June 7.30 pm