Review: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY, Gillian Lynne Theatre

One of my biggest bugbears in theatre is a production that remains on stage well past its welcome. Overlong and flabby shows do neither the audience nor the show itself any favours. It is therefore a huge endorsement for me to state that a production of nearly three and a half hours really is worth every second of your time.

After conquering the West End and Broadway, Ben Power's adaptation of Stefano Massini's work, The Lehman Trilogy, is back at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, a mere twenty months after it last appeared. And it's as engrossing and clever as ever.

The epic story focuses on the men behind the world-famous corporation and those who came after them. Beginning in the 1840s, the three Bavarian brothers, Henry, Emanuel and Mayer Lehman, arrive in America and set up a very modest cloth shop in Alabama.

Director Sam Mendes  guides us through the generations where fortunes are made and traditions are altered as the brothers work to establish the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States. We follow the family through to the company's collapse in September 2008. It caused the greatest financial devastation since the Great Depression and economists believe that we are still living with many of the consequences of the event today.

The story and direction remains the same, but it is always fascinating to see how different actors create their own characters. This trio of Anglo-American actors are simply stellar, making the execution of all their parts look effortless.

Aaron Krohn is wonderfully playful as the looked-down-upon Mayer Lehman, morphing into the poised and slightly strange Bobbie Lehman who dances himself to death, as a brilliantly manic carousel of dense text and numbers in the background whips by faster and faster.

Howard W. Overshow is fiery as the volatile Emanuel Lehman, showing great comic timing and quick instinct as Herbert Lehman and a variety of cocksure and tragic bankers.

John Heffernan as does a lot of the character heavy lifting as Henry Lehman, the first brother to arrive. Heffernan shows deft precision around an array of accents, including an irrascible aged father from the deep south and then as the verbose Philip Lehman, with his pure 'Noo York' twang.

One of the great successes of the production is just how pared-back it is. The story could easily have leant into a huge cast and multiple sets, but the three actors remain in the same costumes, within the same set throughout, accompanied by a solo piano. 

Es Devlin's set is a striking revolving glass box, split into meeting rooms of a corporate office. Behind it, a huge screen curving the width of the stage projects Luke Halls' beautiful monochrome backdrops from the plantations of Alabama to the evolving skyline of New York.

Nick Powell's poignant and perceptive piano soundtrack is a star in its own right; a constant part of the narration, played with incredible energy by pianist Cat Beveridge.

Small criticisms are that the actual lead-up to the collapse of the company feels a little rushed and all the fleeting female characters are mere caricatures, but these can be almost forgiven due to the sheer scale of theatricality in the production.

A story of family, fortunes and the ultimate crushing fall of the American dream. A must-see for any theatre fan.

The Lehman Trilogy runs at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until 5 January 2025

Photo Credits: Mark Douet