Ruthless – Arches Lane Theatre, London

Ruthless at the Arches Lane Theatre explores the wreckage of Ruth Madoff’s life with ambiguity, dark humour, and ghostly visitations.

Ruthless

We’re back at another one-woman show (ish), Ruthless. It’s on at what’s got to be one of London’s newest theatres: the Arches Lane Theatre. Located in the slick new Battersea Power Station development, the venue sits in the space formerly occupied by the Turbine Theatre, which punched well above its weight with more than one West End transfer before closing in 2024. The Arches Lane Theatre is a compact, 100-seat space with friendly staff, a front-of-house bar, and the atmospheric rumble of trains overhead. Definitely worth a look at their upcoming programming.

But this is a theatre review, not a review of theatres. And we’re reviewing, as I said, Ruthless, written by Roger Steinmann and translated from its original German. It takes as its subject Ruth Madoff, wife of disgraced financier and Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff. And it wonders: what happens when your life collapses so spectacularly around your ears? Your husband jailed and then dead. Your sons both dead. Immense wealth gone (but where?). Surrounded on every side by jibes, looks and lawsuits. What part did Ruth play in the myth of Madoff, and how much did she know? The play doesn’t settle the question, but it does portray Ruth as a fantasist. But then again so was her husband (“the ultimate fantasist”, says the Urban Geographer).

Public Downfall and Private Self-Deception

It took me a little while to get into the rhythm of the piece. Emily Swain gives a committed performance as Ruth, veering between longing for her husband, cursing his name, setting dinner for absent sons, and planning a surreal romantic elopement with an Italian pizza delivery man (this last thread is not the play’s strongest element). But perhaps that disorientation is intentional. Is Ruth a tragic figure? A villain? A punchline? Or maybe all of the above? Ruthless never quite resolves that, and in time I came to appreciate its ambiguity.

I mentioned one element that didn’t quite work for me, and I do think this is a work that shows real promise with some further development. The offstage voices and characters could use a little polish throughout. And I’m not sure if I was meant to be amused when Ruth shot down the hall after unwanted visitors, like an afterthought. I did like the late visitation by three ghosts: it put me in mind of my favourite Christmas tale. But ultimately the idea is an interesting one, and Steinmann teases enough interesting threads out of it without overstretching the concept. It’s a thoughtful take on public downfall and private self-deception.

If my review tempts you to see it for yourself, just a note on seating. Try if you can to sit centre-ish. From the sides, the stage is partially obscured by a cut-out. And for shorter theatre lovers, be aware that the rake is better the further back you go.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3/5

Ruthless is on at the Arches Lane Theatre until 29 June 2025. More info and tickets here.