Many productions arrive in London with the hope of being successful and making a long lasting impact. Unfortunately, not all of them achieve this and rarely do they go on to have success here and across the pond. An exception to this notion is The Lehman Trilogy. Having won five Tony Awards including Best Play, it now plays its third London run as part of a limited encore run at the Gillian Lynne Theatre.
One hundred and sixty five years of family history is covered in this three act play spanning nearly three and a half hours. The Lehman brothers are introduced as German-Jewish immigrants arriving state side with the intention of living the ‘American Dream’. We begin in 1844 as they set up a general store selling cotton and fabrics as the store tries to move with the times. Years pass and they create one of the world's leading investment banks before catastrophe strikes, and they are ultimately responsible for the largest financial crisis in history.
Whilst the premise doesn’t initially sound like something that would work with such a long running time, it is surprising just how much detail and depth is within the script. Each act is set in a distinctive period of the Lehman history, with each actor multi rolling the many family members and alumni involved in this fascinating story. Each character is distinctive, whether telling the story directly to the audience, acting as their main character, or embodying one of the many individuals we meet along the way. The rapid pace takes us through the brothers' history at an accelerated rate. This leaves a slight emotional distance between the audience and the characters. The story focuses more on the business and family dynamics rather than the humanity of each individual during periods of historical turmoil.
Portraying the Lehman brothers at this performance were Aaron Krohn (Mayer Lehman), Howard W. Overshown (Emanuel Lehman) and Leighton Pugh (Henry Lehman). Each gives a remarkable performance given the sheer amount of content in this production. Highlighting again why understudies and swings are the backbone of the industry, Pugh particularly shone multi-rolling as Philip Lehman, son of Emanuel. Delivering the perfect blend of comedy as a small child and growing up, to the stark contrast of the businesses minded individual he becomes as he takes a prominent role within the company. It’s hard to believe that Pugh doesn’t perform this role each night as he was utterly convincing throughout. This is not to diminish Krohn and Overshown, whose performances were equally compelling.
All of the action takes place within the confines of an office space split into three. These spaces take us from the shop they start out in, to the boardrooms where their dreams come crashing down. The design (ES Devlin) allows versatility whilst remaining consistent throughout, with only filing boxes moving to simulate a change of location. Interestingly, the revolve also moves the entire set that the action takes place in to simulate time. Costumes (Katrina Lindsay) are also consistent throughout with a monochrome palette reminiscent of the initial time the piece is set within. Colour comes sporadically on the impressive video wall which curves around the giant structure with the stirring realistic video design. Luke Halls’ vision is executed perfectly and adds an enormous amount of value to the piece.
Sam Mendes’ direction ensures that this piece is captivating and informative. With the running time at an extended length, it ran the risk of losing the audience’s interest. This however doesn’t happen and the audience are fully transported to the dramatised tragic tale of The Lehman Brothers. A fascinating story rich in abundance of details visually and within the script, The Lehman Trilogy is a show you do not want to miss.
The Lehman Trilogy runs at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until the 5th January 2025 - for more information and tickets, you can follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Mark Douet
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