Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The vividly acted and magnificently staged THE LEHMAN TRILOGY finally arrives on Broadway, triumphantly

• By drediman
• October 18, 2021
• No Comments

Last week, the much anticipated Main Stem edition of The Lehman Trilogy by Stefano Massini (as adapted by Ben Power) opened at the Nederlander Theatre. After garnering considerable acclaim across the pond at the National Theatre and on the West End, Mr. Massini’s epic – an inter-generational family saga chronicling the founding (by three Jewish brothers from Bavaria), growth, evolution, and ultimate demise of Lehman Brothers – subsequently played a brief stint in 2019 at the Park Avenue Armory, where it was arguably the hottest ticket in town. After having to contend with a global pandemic, the play has finally arrived – triumphantly – on Broadway, where, as a largely New York-centric play about the American Dream, it was always destined to be performed. Although the Great White Way is still in the process of re-awakening, The Lehman Trilogy has no doubt already established itself as one of the important theatrical events of the season.

For those of you wary of the play’s focus on finance and banking or its lengthy running time, fear not. The piece, in essence, uses the life cycle of Lehman Brothers as an allegory for the more universal notion of the constancy of change and history’s way of blindly leading us into unpredictable new territory. The play is written to be performed at an exhilarating clip, giving the impression of history speeding along like a train careening towards disaster (in fact, one the prophetic dreams of one of the original Lehman brothers involves an out of control locomotive descending from the heavens). Mr. Massini’s efficiently plotted writing is heavy on narration and thematic in the way it unfolds, condensing 160 years of American history spryly yet elegantly. Indeed, by the end of the evening, you’ll be surprised at how quickly three-and-a-half hours have flown by and how much ground has been covered.

The play’s trump card is the show’s three actors – Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, and Adrian Lester (who replaces Ben Miles of previous mountings of the production) – whose vivid performances are collectively a master class in impeccable acting technique and sheer stamina. Although most of the story is told in the third person, the trio is able to bring astonishing specificity and vitality to each of the constellation of characters they are tasked to portray. Each also brings their own unique brand of actorly brilliance to the mix – Mr. Beale’s Shakespearean heft, Mr. Godley’s terrific physicality, Mr. Lester’s commanding physical presence – which makes the experience even richer. Although a part of me misses the epic sweep of The Lehman Trilogy when it played the expansive Park Avenue Armory, Sam Mendes’s magnificently fluid production (kudos to Es Devlin’s clever rotating office set and Nick Powell’s cinematic musical underscoring) nevertheless completely captivates at the more intimate Nederlander.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE LEHMAN TRILOGY
Broadway, Play
Nederlander Theatre
3 hours, 30 minutes (with two intermissions)
Through January 2