The Untold Story of the Collyer Brothers

Steve Noll
A group of people in party hats gathered around a seated person.
Stephanie Albrecht, Michael Kelley, Erich Evered, Peter Olson, Emma Katz (from left) and Carl Cawthorne (seated) in "The Untold Story of the Collyer Brothers," Madison Public Theatre, 2024.
This is the first show for the new Madison Public Theatre (formerly Strollers Theatre), co-produced by Oracular Studios. The told part of the untold story is that the Collyer brothers, Homer and Langley, are hoarders living in a junk-laden, booby-trapped brownstone in 1930s Harlem. The Untold Story of the Collyer Brothers, written and directed by Madison’s Finn Gallagher, takes off from this intriguing true story. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (except for 2 p.m. on Oct. 26) and 2 p.m. Sunday.
media release: Written and directed by Finn Gallagher.
Madison Public Theatre and Oracular Studios invite you to experience “The Untold Story of the Collyer Brothers”! This is the inaugural show of Madison Public Theatre.
Homer and Langley Collyer live in 1930s Harlem and are famous for their hoarding and eccentric tendencies. Newspaper reporters scheme for an interview or even just a photograph inside their brownstone. Homer, the elder brother hasn’t been seen publicly in years. Langley is even rebuilding a Model T Ford in the living room. What’s most interesting about this story? It’s true!
The Collyer brothers were real media sensations for many years, until their own tripwires unfortunately got the best of them…
2 brothers, one hundred tons of junk, and one sensational story!
Strollers Theatre d/b/a Madison Public Theatre.