Update: Due to fears from the coronavirus, this show has been suspended through April 12th.
You might think that a three-hour and twenty minute play about the rise and fall of Lehman Brothers would be dry material that would only appeal to fans of the most esoteric of Tom Stoppard’s works. But The Lehman Trilogy, now in previews at the Nederlander Theatre in New York, is anything but dry.
The Lehman Trilogy officially opens on March 26th and is scheduled to run through June 28th.
Ben Power has adapted Stefano Massini’s play which has been produced several times in Europe. Sam Mendes, perhaps best known as the director of American Beauty and Skyfall, directs a three-person cast. Simon Russell Beale plays Henry Lehman. Adam Godley plays Mayer Lehman. Ben Miles plays Emanuel Lehman. But that’s only part of the story. Each actor takes on multiple roles. For it is only these three actors, on a rotating office set, that both tell us and act out this amazing story.
The Lehman Trilogy is ultimately an immigrant story. As the family finds its footing in America, they gradually grow their little business into one of the biggest financial companies in the world. A company that would become an example of the financial crisis in America in 2008.
Mendes’ direction keeps the story, told in three parts, moving quickly. The actors all give amazing performances. And the show is a runaway success for its limited run. This is truly a theatrical high-wire act that mirrors the image used to advertise the play.
This play sold out at The National Theatre, the Park Avenue Armory and on London’s West End. If you can’t make it to New York, The Lehman Trilogy is part of the Ahmanson Theatre’s 2020-2021 season
The Lehman Trilogy has a run time of 3 hours and 20 minutes which includes 2 15-minute intermissions.
For tickets go here.
All production photos by Stephanie Berger