The __National Theatre__ and __Neal Street Productions’__ *The Lehman Trilogy* makes a triumphant return to London following an acclaimed season in Los Angeles and a highly lauded run on Broadway, winning 5 __Tony Awards®__ including Best Play. Directed by __Academy Award®, Tony Award®__ and __Golden Globe__ winner __Sam Mendes__, *The Lehman Trilogy* features a cast of three playing the Lehman brothers, their sons and grandsons, in an extraordinary feat of story-telling told in three parts on a single evening. Hailed by The New York Times as 'a genuinely epic production', The Lehman Trilogy is the story of a family and a company that changed the world.
On a cold September morning in 1844, a young man from Bavaria stands on a New York dockside dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is joined by his two brothers, and an American epic begins. 163 years later, the firm they establish – Lehman Brothers – spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy, triggering the largest financial crisis in history.
__Please note_
This production features instances of flashing lights and some video effects that may cause dizziness. There will be instances of total darkness (lasting 15 seconds) and gunshot sound effects.
The production contains moments and themes that some people may find distressing. This includes the non-graphic depiction of a suicide and mentions of suicide. There is also infrequent mention of death, war and slavery.
__Access Performances__
Captioned: Monday 20th February, 7.00pm
Captioned: Saturday 18th March, 1.00pm
Audio Described: Monday 27th February, 7.00pm
Audio Described: Saturday 25th March, 1.00pm
BSL: Saturday 11th March, 1.00pm
When Michael Balogun’s Emanuel Lehman steps out of the vast glass and steel box in which he, Hadley Fraser and Nigel Lindsay have been telling the story of the three German-Jewish Lehman Brothers from their arrival in America to the firm’s 2008 collapse, there’s a sudden coming together of the worlds of theatre and finance. They’re both entirely reliant on pretending. The world they’ve conjured for two hours is as illusory and fragile as the financial world their characters are describing. Having Balogun break the illusion is just one of hundreds of tricks that Sam Mendes pulls out of his magic box as he transforms three actors and a few packing boxes into the history of America.
Those expecting an exploration into the bank's role in the financial crisis will be disappointed; despite beginning and ending the show, we never get into the mechanics of the causes and the final crash does feel a little rushed. However, this is not really what the play is about. It's about family ties, overarching ambition and a cautionary tale about the so-called American dream.
2018 | West End |
Original West End Production West End |
2019 | Off-Broadway |
Park Avenue Armory North American Premiere Off-Broadway |
2021 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2023 | West End |
West End |
West End |
West End |
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