The Lehman Trilogy

After a Tony winning Broadway run, the National Theatre’s 2018 production of Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy is back in the West End now at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes and featuring a new Lehman trio with Nigel Lindsay, Michael Balogun and Hadley Fraser, does its story about the American Dream still resonate a decade after its started life in Italy, or did this production crash as hard as the 2008 recession?

Directed by: Sam Mendes

Book by: Stefano Massini

Adapted by: Ben Power

Cast

Henry Lehman: Nigel Lindsay
Emanuel Lehman: Michael Balogun
Mayer Lehman: Hadley Fraser

Rating: ★★★★★

Running time: 3 hours and 20 minutes including two 15-minute intervals

What is The Lehman Trilogy about?

On a cold September morning in 1844, a young man from Bavaria, Henry Lehman, stands on a New York Dockside dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is joined by his two brothers, Emanuel and Mayer, and an American epic begins that takes them from Alabama to Wall Street.

163 years later, the firm they establish – Lehman Brothers (the fourth largest investment firm) – spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy, triggering the largest financial crisis in history.

What were my thoughts on The Lehman Trilogy?

As I have little to no knowledge of financial investment or banking, let alone Lehman Brothers, I was admittedly concerned whether it would affect my enjoyment of The Lehman Trilogy despite living the 2008 financial crisis in real time. Hearing all the positive word of mouth piqued my interest, and I’m happy to say I had an amazing time.

The Lehman Trilogy is really an immigration story that set the foundation for the American Dream. Starting as Bavarian Jews moving to the music box of America in the 1840s and 50s, Lehman Brothers grows from humble beginnings selling fabric and cotton in Montgomery, Alabama to coffee, steel iron and transportation, then finally money itself in the heart of Wall Street. Having survived over a century of catastrophes including the Civil War, Wall Street Crash and Great Depression, it’s understandable why each generation would feel invincible until the inevitable happens. Does it make them right? Given their affiliation with slavery, I’d say it was ethically dubious at best.

That’s not to say The Lehman Trilogy doesn’t explore the effects of capitalism in its whopping three hour running time, which feels more pressing five years after its 2018 premiere. This was best exemplified by a client’s monologue (played with a pitch perfect impression of a corporate-minded marketing director by Michael Balogun) about marketing as buying, exploiting customers into throwing money at things they think they need instead of the products themselves while they get the profit. Now that the UK is facing a cost of living crisis and on the brink of another recession as of 2023, the audience’s gasps were definitely justified.

Es Devlin’s Tony-winning set design is phenomenal. A monochrome Wall Street boardroom as cold and impersonal as the corporate world Lehman Brothers resides over, the creativity shines when it doubles for other locations, with the characters scribbling letters and numbers across the glass walls and climb on cardboard filing boxes. Luke Halls’ slick (and sometimes dizzying) video projections also immerse the audience into the Lehman Brothers’ world from rural Alabama to the skyscrapers of New York, with its splashes of colour reserved for haunting dream sequences,

What was the cast like?

I cannot praise the three actors enough. Perfectly capturing the Lehman Brothers’ dynamic as the head, arm and potato (makes sense in context), their performances are a masterclass in acting as they also every role big and small including children, grandchildren, clients and spouses. While wearing slick and timeless business suits designed by Katrina Lindsay, it’s through changing their body language, speech patterns and accents that they’re able to transform into each character.

Nigel Lindsay (Shrek the Musical) shines as the first (and oldest) Lehman brother to emigrate to America with a little dream, Henry (birth name Heyum) and his motor-mouthed son to the point of hilarious, Philip, who dismisses his son Robert’s more creative aspirations to take over the family business.

I’ve been a fan of Hadley Fraser’s through his musical theatre work including the Phantom of the Opera 25th anniversary concert and Young Frankenstein, so I loved seeing him in a role that showcased his amazing acting chops. Starting as the youngest Lehman Mayer, the mediator to Henry and Emanuel’s squabbles, his comedic skills shine in a sequence where he plays every candidate when Philip auditions for a wife and impulsive grandson Robert Lehman, literally dancing himself to death while reaping the benefits of capitalism.

None of this is to say Michael Balogun (Death of England: Delroy) doesn’t slack around as the middle Lehman Emanuel. Perfectly bouncing off Nigel Lindsay’s eldest Henry, his hot-headed temper makes an amazing contrast to the wide-eyed innocence he brings when playing child roles.

Another person I must praise who plays an integral part of The Lehman Trilogy is pianist Yshani Perinpanayagam. Playing Nick Powell’s music to perfection, you could feel the emotion she brought to each note as the drama played out on stage.

What were my overall thoughts?

If you missed its National Theatre or Broadway runs, go and see The Lehman Trilogy as soon as you can. Still a slick, epic and thought-provoking production in every aspect from set design to book to cast, the Gillian Lynne Theatre makes the perfect new home for its grand scope. With it being a pressing time for theatres, I’d definitely say Sam Mendes’ play is definitely worth investing a ticket in.

The Lehman Trilogy runs at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until May 20th 2023.