One of the most impressive theatre events of the past season in New York did not happen on Broadway. In the rather gargantuan Park Avenue Armory The Lehman Trilogy was performed. It’s a play that follows the Lehman family from their arrival in America as immigrants through the rise and fall of Lehman Brothers. It’s fascinating theatre and is being shown this week (and continuing into August) as part of National Theatre Live. It all begins with the live performance on Thursday, July 25th.
As directed by Sam Mendes, three actors portray all the characters in The Lehman Trilogy. Those stunningly versatile actors are Adam Godley, Simon Russell Beale and Ben Miles. They also don’t just act the story. Much of the story, as written by playwright Stefano Massini (adapted by Ben Power), is told to the audience. You don’t need to know anything about this history. It is not only presented very clearly, it’s also utterly compelling theatre. Don’t be afraid of the material. It seems dry, but I can assure you there is nothing dry about this play at all.
Whether you live in Los Angeles or anywhere else, you can use the link in the opening paragraph to find a performance near you. In the LA area, there will be four performances at the James Bridges Theatre (July 27th, 28th and August 4th and 25th.) Irvine Barclay Theatre will be screening The Lehman Trilogy, but not until February 5th.
The only truly live performance is on the 25th of July. All other showings will be just that…screenings of the live performance from this week.
Rumor has it that a tour of The Lehman Trilogy is being planned. But this play, to be seen properly, requires quite a large theatre. Even if you think you’ll want to see the play live, I strongly recommend you go to one of the screenings to see it as originally produced.
Photo: Adam Godley, Simon Russell Beale and Ben Miles
Photo by Mark Douet/Courtesy of National Theatre Live
