The Lehman Trilogy

Scene 1, Act 1: Glass office in a high rise building with the NYC skyline in the background. Three rooms: one a lounge, the other a conference room, and the last one a small office. This is The Lehman Trilogy.

Opening to rave reviews at The National Theatre in 2018, The Lehman Trilogy is back, now at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in Covent Garden. It brilliantly tells the story of the rise and mighty fall of the investment bank that once was Lehman Brothers. Three actors grace the stage, skilfully playing the three Lehman brothers who started up the business, as well as other characters instrumental in the history of Lehman the company, including the sons and grandsons. Nigel Lindsay is absolutely brilliant as Henry Lehman, who left his home country of Bavaria to start a new life in America, winding up on the Deep South in 1851 in Montgomery, Alabama, and opening up a general store. Emanuel arrives next into America, (played by a very good Hadley Fraser). The third brother, Mayer, arrives next (Michael Balogun).

Henry and his brothers start buying and reselling raw cotton, but despite the unforeseen death of Henry and the start of the US civil war, it didn’t stop the remaining brothers opening up an office in downtown NYC. A decade later the company becomes a bank, and as well as diversifying into other industries, eventually morphing into an investment bank. With the determination, drive, and confidence, and name, the sons and grandsons morph the company into one of the most valued and respected companies in the US, But what goes up must come down, and Lehman Bros. was heavily entangled in subprime mortgages that caused its demise in September 2008.

The Lehman Trilogy, at three hours and twenty minutes (with two intervals), never once flags, thanks in part to the the sharp script (by Stefano Massini, and adapted by Ben Power) and smooth direction (the great Sam Mendes). An excellent set (as described above) is mesmerising, and the backdrop changes with the mood of the show, but it’s success is ultimately down to the actors who command the stage - and it is quite an achievement to memorise all that dialogue. It’s a story that could be deemed an American Tragedy, and unfortunately it is not inconceivable that it could happen again in our lifetime. www.thelehmantrilogy.com