The Lehman Trilogy Review - Another marvellous turn from the Olivier Award-winning play
Posted on 10 October 2024
Fresh from a Chicago residency and back for its third West End run, Sam Mendes’ corporate blockbuster is still as bright and bold as the New York skyline it represents.
The set, an imposing glass cube which dominates the Gillian Lynne stage, is as fluid as the trio of talented actors that dance, climb and navigate their way inside it. Endlessly spinning, the cube circumnavigates the decades as John Heffernan, Aaron Krohn, and Howard W. Overshown seamlessly transform themselves into significant figures from Lehman’s 164 year old legacy. A swollen stomach and sweat drenched hankie creates the cotton factory owner, a straight back and carefully placed feet embodies the tightrope walker, Solomon Paprinsky.
This is a story about worth and value, but it isn’t a tale about money and wealth. The brothers who built the business, and the generations that follow, crave immortality. They need confirmation that their sacrifices were worth it. That they made a difference. That they made their home country proud. That they are recognised and seen from the clouds in which they survey. The millions of dollars they make is nice, but they find no comfort in their vast fortune when they are tossing and turning in their beds at night - fearful of the future and of being left behind. Stefano Massini and Ben Power’s excellent production ensures the name Lehman will never be forgotten, though whether brothers Henry, Mayer and Emanuel will be proud of the picture it paints, is something else entirely.
The brothers begin their saga in a small shop with a door that sticks. Here they sell fabrics; flannel, muslin and that futuristic thing that never tears, denim. They soon venture into the unknown, inventing job titles and inserting themselves into the businesses that had previously run well enough without them. Becoming ‘middle men’ they sell products from hardworking laborious to the fat cats in the city. Their business moves from the physical to the intangible. As the brothers slowly lose sight of the stock they’re selling - no longer cotton, coffee or cross-country railways, but figures on a stock exchange floor - their vision for the corporation fails, and the downfall begins.
The three act, three hour long production is a fast paced and thrilling exploration of the personal ups and downs of a global business. Whether you’re a crypto bro or thought the credit crunch was a new type of cereal, this modern fable of greed and perpetuity is a good investment for any theatregoer.
Playing at the Gillian Lynne until 5 January 2025, book your official tickets today.
