Told in three parts over a single evening.
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 soon joined by his two brothers and an American epic begins. 163 years later the firm they establish, Lehman Brothers, spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy and triggers the largest financial crisis in history. Stefano Massini’s vast and poetic play unfolds over three parts in a single evening, opening in the Lyttelton Theatre in July 2018.
Sam Mendes returns to the National Theatre to direct Ben Power’s English version of Stefano Massini’s vast and poetic play. Adam Godley, Ben Miles and Simon Russell Beale play the Lehman brothers, their sons and grandsons. With set design by Es Devlin, video design by Luke Halls, costume design by Katrina Lindsay, lighting by Jon Clark, music and sound by Nick Powell and movement by Polly Bennett.
The world premiere of Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy opened at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan in 2015. It turned out to be Artistic Director Luca Ronconi’s final production before his death. A long-term admirer of Ronconi’s, Sam Mendes was inspired to begin planning an English adaptation for Neal Street Productions. From a literal English translation by Mirella Cheeseman, Ben Power was commissioned to create a new version of this epic play, which charts the extraordinary story of a family and a company that changed the world.
Talks and Events
The Stages of Translating a Play – Tuesday 10 July, 5.30pm
Adam Godley, Ben Miles and Simon Russell Beale on The Lehman Trilogy – Thursday 26 July, 3pm
The Lehman Trilogy Up Close – Tuesday 7 and Wednesday 8 August, 10.30am
Sam Mendes and Ben Power on The Lehman Trilogy – Thursday 13 September, 5.30pm
The American Dream on Stage – Friday 14 September, 1.30pm
Is the American Dream dead? – Friday 14 September, 5.30pm
Designing the Lehman Trilogy with Es Devlin Studio – Monday 17 September, 4.30pm
Modern Jewish Identity – Friday 21 September, 5.30pm
