26 Aug Liza Powel O’Brien debuts ‘Ruthless’ at Theatre Aspen’s Solo Flights Festival
Playwright Liza Powel O’Brien could not decide how to feel about Ruth Madoff after Madoff’s husband, Bernie, was exposed for one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history.
Her unease turned into “Ruthless,” the one-person play she will debut at Theatre Aspen’s seventh annual Solo Flights Festival, running Sept. 8 to 13. “Ruthless,” directed by Mimi O’Donnell and starring Jodie Markell, will be performed at 7 p.m. Sept. 10 and 4 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Hurst Theatre. It is one of six new works in the 2026 developmental festival of solo shows.
“I’m just thrilled. I’ve been working on this play for a long time,” Powel O’Brien said.
The play is about Ruth, who faces an impossible choice after her husband’s confession to massive fraud leaves her with the decision to either protect herself by disavowing him or absorb a lifetime of public scorn.
In writing the play, inspired by the real-life scenario, Powel O’Brien explored how people judge someone whose identity and life are suddenly reshaped by another person’s actions.