BAD WITH MONEY
Written by Ben Rimalower
Directed by Aaron Mark
Ben Rimalower’s addiction to spending beyond his means has driven him to extreme lengths all his life. In Bad With MOney he charts his sometimes hilarious, sometimes harrowing struggle to overcome his problem—or get rich trying.
Rimalower's first solo show, the long-running hit Patti Issues, explored his obsession with Broadway diva Patti LuPone and his relationship with his troubled gay father. Bad with Money delves into even deeper personal territory with the story of his struggle with debt—a journey that takes him through drug addiction, prostitution, fraud and multiple betrayals.
In this gripping play-by-play of some his biggest mistakes and their consequences, Rimalower offers a no-holds-barred self-portrait of an addict, and casts light on one of the last societal taboos. “People tend to be familiar now with alcohol and drug abuse—and I've got those too,” the writer-performer says. “But spending money I don’t have is really my drug of choice. And considering how many people suffer from the same problem, it’s staggering how seldom that is discussed.”