Photo by Amy Pasquantonio

(From left) Wayne LeGette as Rick, Autumn Kioti Horne as Jenny, Christopher Dreeson as Jeff, and Michael Scott Ross as Seth.

By AARON KRAUSE

When GableStage mounted a fine production of Sarah Burgess’s brutally honest play Dry Powder in 2017, it felt like a serious cautionary tale.

Today, eight years later, the play mirrors reality for far too many. And the sharp performances by a splendid cast in Boca Stage’s just-finished production further drive home the piece’s urgent themes: capitalism and profit at any cost, corporate ethics versus public image, moral compromise, and the exploitation that comes with wealth inequality.

It is a shame that this production ran for only a brief stretch from April 24 to May 4. Under Genie Croft’s thoughtful direction, respected South Florida performers Autumn Kioti Horne, Wayne LeGette, Michael Scott Ross, and Christopher Dreeson fully embodied their roles. Indeed, their nuance and subtle expressions, as well as sharp timing, matched the script’s rapid-fire energy.

Listen to some of the phrases in Sarah Burgess’s play—“gutting the American business,” “sucked out of the U.S. economy and sent overseas,” “massive layoffs”—and it is easy to feel jolts of recognition.

Burgess does not take sides or offer easy answers. Instead, she drops us into the ruthless, competitive world of private equity. Also, the playwright lets the audience wrestle with the piece’s moral ambiguity.

If you are unfamiliar with financial jargon, you may feel a bit lost — especially with the rapid-fire David Mamet-like dialogue style the playwright employs. There’s barely time to breathe. But that is the point — the dialogue mirrors the high-pressure world these characters inhabit. In fact, it is a world that may call to mind Mamet’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning play Glengarry Glenn Ross.

Fortunately, the performers seemed to listen when they were not speaking. This helped them avoid appearing as though they were anticipating their lines.

The title Dry Powder refers to capital reserves set aside for potential investment. The play takes place in 2016 in the Manhattan office of private equity firm KMM Capital Management. Company executives are scrambling to contain a PR disaster. During the same week the firm forced mass layoffs at a national grocery chain, its founder and president, Rick, threw himself a lavish engagement party.

Co-managing director Seth believes he has a solution that could save face. If KMM can invest in a domestic luggage manufacturer, the firm might not only make a smart financial move but also reshape its public image. The proposed acquisition sets off an internal power struggle.

On one side stands Jenny. She is a calculating, unapologetic financier. She wants to offshore operations, slash costs, and boost the firm’s profit—regardless of how it affects the American workers.

On the other side is Seth. His plan is more worker friendly. Also, it is more appealing to Jeff Schrader. He is the CEO of Landmark Luggage, the company in question.

For all the insider language and high-level deal-making, Dry Powder’s heart is deceptively simple: Do you protect jobs, or chase maximum profit?

Burgess makes abstract financial principles feel personal. And the escalating tension between Seth and Jenny makes for riveting—and surprisingly funny—drama.

Dry Powder may be full of financial talk. However, it is never emotionally bankrupt. In fact, watching it in 2025 makes one thing clear: this play has not lost a step. If anything, it has become uncomfortably timely.

As Jenny, Horne spoke with conviction and confidence. The performer embodied a strong, assured woman who believes she knows what she is doing and will not apologize for that. If anything, Horne could have been more ruthless in the role. But overall, she created a strong, if not exactly likable female character.

LeGette carried an air of authority and a business-like aura as Rick. With dark-framed glasses perched on the edge of his nose under a head of dark grey hair, he looked and sounded always commanding. Also, he was obviously torn between Jenny’s position and Seth’s stance.

Ross’s Seth was just as intense as the other characters. However, with his fresh-faced, almost boyish look with a constant hint of a smile, the character gave off a hint of charm and sentimentality. You sensed that this man possesses a conscience and a sensitive bone or two.

As Jeff, Dreeson differed starkly from his castmates. He projected a brightness and affability that suggested a man who believes in being optimistic and friendly. While he grew frustrated at times like the rest of them, Dreeson mostly made us like Jeff and feel concerned about him. Were the others taking advantage of Jeff’s sunniness?

The actors performed on scenic designer Claudia Smith’s realistic set. It was wide and encompassed three settings: KMM’s office, a bar next door, and a third setting that, oddly, looked like a Chinese restaurant.

By putting the three settings side by side, Smith allowed transitions between scenes to occur seamlessly, almost cinematically.

Also, behind the scenes, Timothy Charles Bowman’s costumes befitted a formal work setting. And David Hart’s clear sound design rendered each syllable sharp and intelligible.

As long as economic injustice exists, we need plays like Dry Powder — and theater companies that, like GableStage and Boca Stage, deliver top-notch productions of them.