From 1844 to 1850, three brothers emigrated from Bavaria to the U.S., settling in Montgomery, Alabama. From a dry goods store to one of the largest investment companies in the world, these brothers created an enterprise that invested in businesses throughout the U.S. and the world. “The Lehman Trilogy” traces the evolution of the company for a century and a half through the family and its descendants that took those risks. Three actors portray the Lehmans, their kids and grandkids, and even their wives, who didn’t even change their costume (a vested suit)- they simply talked to each other and to us, the audience as we came to understand the history and evolution of a business that was the personification of an American dream of immigrants. Three hours and three acts with two intermissions, yet it was mesmerizing as I sat there, not wanting to miss a word of their stories.
It begins with the collapse of the company in the financial crisis of 2007-2008, but that is only a very small part of the story. There hadn’t been any Lehmans running it for decades, and this is the story of the people and their responses to the events of the times. The Civil War, devastating fires, and the Crash of the Market in 1929 had major effects on the direction of the company. These are the stories of a family that responded to those events.
There are lots of details about how the Lehmans wound up in the cotton trade, about how they moved their base after the Civil War to New York, and about how they wound up financing other products- first coffee and railways, then oil, cinema and even television were things they invested in. Eventually, the most lucrative product invested in was money itself. In each case, a younger generation of Lehmans had to convince their parents to adapt to the changing times. There is much story to digest. And we do.
This Philadelphia premier, staged by Arden Theatre Company, features Scott Greer, Charlie DelMarcelle, and Akeem Davis. The Lehmans were Jewish. None of these actors are Jewish. Davis is African-American. Director Terry Nolen is not Jewish. It doesn’t make a difference. They understand theater. They know how to create. They told stories so believable without overplaying their characters. They are great! The press release says that they played over 50 characters… And it all worked! It all worked!! Each character they portrayed moved the company forward as we observed the evolution of a branch of American capitalism.
We knew many of the events that are described in the play, but we didn’t know the players. Playwright Stefano Massini gives us that story that was hours longer before Ben Power adapted it down to a perfect three hours. 150 years in three hours is pretty good as it takes us forward in time. At the end of the play, I spoke to two people who had seen the play on Broadway. Both said that this production was better. I’m not surprised. It is a tour de force!
“The Lehman Trilogy” by Stefano Massini, adapted by Ben Power at Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. 215-922-11222 ardentheatre.org extended thru April 14, 2024
Philadelphia Theater Reviews by Frank Burd 