The Treasury’s in a Frightful Situation

The Treasury is a verse drama that offers a humorous look at Muslim-Jewish relations during a tense period in the Ottoman Empire. The country is nearly bankrupt, but help is at hand. The play commences with Sultan Levent, his viziers, and the treasurer discussing a possible solution: a Greek princess, rich enough to solve all the empire’s financial woes, has arrived to marry the sultan. However, the sultan is already married and very much in love with his wife, Inci, so he dismisses their plans. Salomon, a Jewish banker, presents a plan to earn money for the treasury.

In the second part of the play, modern-day Levent is wakened by his wife, Inci: It has all been a dream and they are late for an exhibition about the bankruptcy and fall of the Ottoman Empire. If only the Sultan really had listened to his Jewish advisor!