The most notorious financial criminal of the modern era may not be Bernie Madoff, but instead, a man who invented the same crime nearly a century before him: Charles Ponzi. Living on forever in infamy, his story is one of a criminal enterprise fueled by promises too good to be true. But the rest of his life is just as wild as his schemes.

The BHS Drama Society presented “The Boston Swindler,” on Friday, Jan. 20 in the 22 Tappan theater at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The 2023 Senior Project, written and directed by seniors Jeewoo Sonn and Agnes Shales, showcased their brilliant writing and talented cast.

The show begins with an elderly Charles Ponzi (sophomore Reid Carroll) bedridden and in the care of a nurse in Brazil. A young reporter (sophomore Louisa Hansel) comes to his bedside to document his lifetime of schemes, escapades and, surprisingly, kindness.

After traveling to North America in the early 20th century, young Ponzi (junior Griffin Schroeder) finds himself destitute, without the promise of a better future. He pushes forward regardless to pursue the dream of endless riches, ending up on the wrong side of the law and his family.

Ponzi’s inability to look beyond his own economic desires is made clear by his treatment of his wife Rose Gnecco (junior Sigal Solomon) and mother Imelda Ponzi (junior Andie Cohen). Both the performances of Solomon and Cohen highlight the destructive nature of Ponzi’s obsession, each providing clarity to and criticism of his money-hungry pursuits and how they leave others behind.

Throughout the project, Carroll and Schroeder offer contrasting depictions of Ponzi. Schroeder plays a desperate but overtly charming and very convincing Ponzi during the climb to the heights of his scheme. He keeps a coin with him throughout most of his scenes, signifying his obsession and greed. Carroll’s character seems like the opposite: quiet, reserved and pensive. However, the traits that Schroeder illustrates still reveal themselves in Carroll’s performance as Ponzi reflects on his life unrepentantly.

Sophomores Anna Losk and Blake Samstad’s characters of Fabiana and Luigi Zarossi parallel the later love story of Ponzi and Gnecco, showing an alternative ending to their lives. Freshman Charlotte Hintz, freshman Ella Ngo-Miller and Losk play the hilarious and often-drunk old friends of Ponzi who follow him through his misadventures. Sophomore Elizabeth Kane’s landlady keeps a witty banter with Schroeder’s Ponzi, and freshman Sammy Lipton’s Charles W. Morse lends hilarity to all of the prison scenes.

The project carefully uses its comedy to highlight some of the absurdity of Ponzi’s life. From his donation of skin to save a burned nurse in a mining camp to his marital trouble and first crime, the show lets these moments stand on their own. In other places, such as the many times Ponzi lies while writing a letter to Imelda in Italy, the contrast between his true actions and his recounting to his mother is used to its ultimate comedic potential.

I truly appreciate Sonn and Shales’s deftly-weaving narrative. Spanning through time and location, it transitions cleanly into the different periods of Ponzi’s life. The script uses actual quotes from Ponzi to ground the play even more in reality, which was a brilliant touch.

The retrospective framing of the project also allows the playful mixing of settings. A fantastic example of this balance is the marriage of Ponzi and Gnecco while Imelda Ponzi writes a letter to Gnecco urging her to not marry her son. The simultaneous scenes create sincere reflection on Ponzi’s character while maintaining a delightful levity and wit.

From the creative use of narrative to the excellent performances of complicated characters, the senior project perfectly reflects the amount of care, work and effort of the entire cast and crew. “The Boston Swindler” is wonderfully inventive and a genuinely touching exploration of Ponzi’s strange life.