Save Our Savings

Save Our Savings is a biting political comedy that revisits the myth of shipwreck as a metaphor for the collapse of elites and corrupt systems. Jean-Pierre Martinez weaves a sharp satire of unbridled capitalism, tax havens, and the collusion between politicians, financiers, and traffickers of all kinds.

Through a maritime closed-door setting where characters from high society and the business world find themselves trapped, the play offers a critique of social inequalities, political manipulation, and the hypocrisies of power. Behind the appearance of a sea adventure lies a broader reflection on the state of the world, the moral bankruptcy of elites, and the absurdity of systems of domination.

1. A Critique of Capitalism and Tax Havens

The story begins on a paradise island that serves as a tax haven, a refuge for the ultra-wealthy and a hub for financial and political trafficking. This fictional yet emblematic island embodies the excesses of the global economic system, where:

• Billionaires hide their wealth beyond the reach of taxes and scrutiny.
• Banks act as pillars of the system, playing a double game between legality and corruption.
• Elites manipulate institutions to maintain their privileges at the expense of the rest of the world.

The passengers on the ship represent this privileged elite but also its contradictions:

• Diane, a cynical executive from Continental Finances, personifies banks that dictate global economic policy.
• Yvonne, a businesswoman, illustrates the hypocrisy of the ultra-rich, who seek tax optimization while preaching morality.
• Sergio, the President’s henchman, symbolizes the collusion between political power and financiers, revealing a system where leaders primarily serve their own interests.

When disaster strikes (a tsunami wiping the island off the map), these characters realize that money does not protect against everything and that their seemingly stable world can sink overnight.

2. A Satire of the Mechanisms of Power

The play exposes the backstage workings of power and its pervasive corruption:

• The French President, omnipresent yet invisible, is portrayed as a master manipulator, aware of the impending disaster but warning only those who serve his interests.
• Law enforcement and justice are tools of power: Amanda, an undercover agent from the Financial Brigade, ultimately turns a blind eye to the crimes she was supposed to expose, choosing to partake in the political masquerade instead.
• The military serves the ruling class: they intervene not to save the innocent, but to retrieve the President’s campaign funds.
• Political and media manipulation is omnipresent: the President does not truly abolish tax havens but eliminates only the ones that become inconvenient, while creating new ones elsewhere.

Martinez paints a cynical portrait of power, where alliances form and dissolve according to immediate interests, and where state reasons justify the worst crimes.

3. A Fable on Inequality and Elite Blindness

The microcosm of the ship becomes a laboratory of social dynamics, where everyone tries to survive while maintaining class hierarchies:

• The elites continue to despise each other even in the face of disaster (Yvonne treats Charles as a servant until the very end).
• Suitcases become symbols of inequality: some contain dirty money, others compromising documents, and others drugs hidden under a fake pregnant belly.
• Meritocracy is a myth: the richest always have a backup plan, while the naive (like Diane, who believed she was part of the real power circle) are sacrificed along the way.

The climax of this class struggle aboard a doomed ship comes when the characters find themselves in Libya, becoming migrants fleeing disaster themselves. The irony is sharp: the same individuals who once scorned refugees now find themselves among the damned of the sea.

4. Absurdity and Irony as Tools of Criticism

As in other plays by Jean-Pierre Martinez, absurdity and dark humor are omnipresent, highlighting the ridiculousness of human behavior in chaos:

• Max, an improvised captain without a license, illustrates the incompetence of leaders who claim to steer a world they no longer control.
• Absurd discussions about the weather and a broken compass reflect the blindness of the powerful, unable to admit they have lost control.
• The accumulation of dramatic twists (shipwreck, tsunami, Libya, military intervention) parodies Hollywood scenarios, making the supposed omnipotence of the characters even more ridiculous.

Comedy also emerges through wordplay and distorted expressions:

• Characters repeatedly recite empty formulas about responsibility, finance, and power while being incapable of managing a real crisis.
• The President becomes a grotesque, omniscient yet elusive figure, embodying the hypocrisy of modern leaders.

Martinez does not seek to deliver a moralizing message but rather to make the audience reflect through laughter, exposing the contradictions and cowardice of a system built on manipulation and short-term profit.

Conclusion

Save Our Savings is an allegory of the shipwreck of contemporary society, where the powerful believe they are safe from chaos but ultimately discover they are as vulnerable as those they exploit. Through this corrosive comedy, Jean-Pierre Martinez denounces:

• The hypocrisy of elites who amass wealth and privileges while pretending to serve the common good.
• The collusion between politics, finance, and media, where real decisions are made behind closed doors, far from the public eye.
• The absurdity of a world in permanent crisis, where the rich continue to pull the strings to remain on top.

By blending social satire, political critique, and absurd comedy, the play challenges everyone to reflect on their relationship with power, money, and truth. It leaves the audience with a cynical twist, as the characters applaud the President and Finance, proving that even after a shipwreck, the system always finds a way to regenerate itself… as long as there is still money to be saved.