Everyone gets to play a part in The Lehman Trilogy
Christopher Walker reviews The Lehman Trilogy
The Lehman Trilogy is a slick dramatic phenomenon. It is the perfect vehicle for three accomplished actors to demonstrate their skills.
They get to play all the parts – men, women, boys, girls – and there’s as much fun had on stage as in the audience.
Nigel Lindsay gleefully leads proceedings, along with accomplice Hadley Fraser. They make every different character they incarnate believable, and ruthlessly play the audience for laughs. By contrast, Michael Balogun captures a string of sulking ‘baddies.’
This trio canters through the Lehman dynasty’s saga in exhaustive detail. German immigrants to America create ‘Lehman Brothers’ which evolves from Alabama draper’s shop to New York bank, with a lot of schmaltz along the way. By this point we’ve not left the nineteenth century, and we’re nearly two hours in.
Railways, the Great War, radio, the Second World War….all rush by in the blinking of an eye. We do linger, movingly, on the Wall Street Crash, but only to perpetuate the myth of brokers jumping out of windows. The only ‘defenestration’ that day was actually a German tourist who slipped.
It’s nearly bedtime before we get to the final transformation of ‘Lehman’s’ into the high risk trading house which crashed spectacularly in 2008, causing the Financial Recession who’s shadow still haunts us.
Top designer Es Devlin triumphs with a floating set that revolves as fast as the storyline, but sadly broke down on opening night. The poor performers struggled, three men and a float, and the three hour saga became four.
None of this prevents an enjoyable evening. Indeed, those fearing a heavy night can be assured. Author Stefano Massini hints at serious themes underlying this saga, but does not explore them.
The brothers are Jewish, but never encounter racism. Really? In the nineteenth century. The trio love playing the many Lehman women, with squeaky voices, but the Lehman sisters, don’t get a look in. Was it inevitable frenzied money-making ended in disaster?
Like investors you may come away wondering “what was it all for?” But at least you’ll be better entertained. https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/the-lehman-trilogy/
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