Sam Mendes' original production of “The Lehman Trilogy” shuttled between London and New York and won a Tony Award in 2022. The play traces the evolution of our nation's economy alongside the great American dynasties. Henry arrived from Bavaria in 1844, soon followed by Emanuel and Mayer. They founded a store called Lehman Brothers Fabrics and Suits in Montgomery, Alabama. They quickly ditched consumer goods for raw products and put up a new sign: “Lehman Brothers Cotton.” The family business survived the Civil War and moved north, expanding into coffee and tobacco. Lehman Brothers becomes a bank. Banks grow and gain trading floors. The trading floor takes over.
Ben Powers' adaptation of Stefano Massini's epic poem unfolds in lush passages that occasionally strain the cast's considerable talent. Edward Gero, Rene Thornton Jr., and Mark Nelson play not only the brothers, but also their wives, children, business partners, and heirs. They made dozens of changes to Quicksilver's character, with only a little help from Anita Javich's subtle costumes. They also don't waste any comedic opportunities and work hard to lighten the mood. Simple gestures like handing out a bouquet of flowers can work wonders to get a laugh.
Whether fair or unfair, money stories like margins, interest, and profits all have a way of turning viewers into arbitrageurs. Look for inefficiencies in the story. For example: Financial dramas often lament: We have become estranged from the realities of the world. (He used to design bridges and manufacture his own steel; now he just invents accounting gimmicks.) This lament is most effective when he conveys it in one go. Usually one scene is enough for him. “The Riemann Trilogy” chews through this idea patiently throughout its running time. The play never mentions other political, historical, or psychological observations that would give texture to the insights.
Given such ruminations, and given that the company's name became shorthand for the 2008 crisis, it's hard to swallow how the past two decades have been waved into oblivion. Suddenly we are told that everything is “just” over. Did you do that? Part of the problem is that history is inconvenient. The last Lehman to lead the company died in 1969. When the family story and the economic story are separated, the writer has to cut out the end so that the whole story doesn't unravel.
Listen, I still can't confidently explain how “short” works or what makes it “big.” Generally, plays like Ayad Akhtar's 'Junk' succeed by captivating you. feel savvy. In the space of the theater, you can experience a momentary exhilaration of transparent understanding. But if the spell breaks – during one of his two intermissions in this play, It's tempting to Google “cause of the 1929 crash,” but something's wrong. The third act blurts out the past of the Great Depression and globalization, making you question whatever prior knowledge you had. do have: Wait, are they trying to say that Lehman Brothers invented consumerism?
Once upon a time, I think it was before Lucy Prebble's 2009 play. “Enron” – when it seemed foolish to squeeze drama out of such a subject. In hindsight, this material feels inherently theatrical: Finance. It's all about the tension between simplicity and complexity, materiality and abstraction. You need to persuade your audience to imagine an invisible world. Prebble put dinosaur masks on the actors. In “The Big Short,” Margot Robbie explains mortgage-backed securities from a bubble bath.
This unique performance This production by Allyn Arbus is less rigorous than the Broadway version's glass-and-metal boxes, though it may feature painterly projections and witty props. The Riemann Trilogy focuses on oral explanation, or language itself. “Temple of the Word!” thunders one of the brothers. It was a bold investment aimed at my own life. However, we are well aware that returns are not guaranteed.
Riemann trilogy, written by Stefano Massini and adapted by Ben Power. Directed by Allyn Arbus. Scenic Design, Marcia Ginsburg. Costume design, Anita Javich. Lighting design, Yi Zhao. Sound design and composition by Michael Costariola. Projection design, Hannah Wasileski.Body movement coordination, Lorenzo Pisoni. 3 and a half hours. Through March 30 at Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW, Washington. shakespearetheater.org.