Here are things that you will know about Theatre Calgary’s production of The Lehman Trilogy, by Stefano Massini. It is a five time Tony award winning play, it’s presentation style is direct address, meaning it is taken in like a radio play, or podcast, and it’s a behemoth of a production, running at three hours and 23 minutes including two intermissions. This production is EDITED down and is still WAY too long.
The talent on stage is immense, since the artists basically had to memorize a novel and three artist play every single character on stage. The theatricality is something to behold. But once you take all that in, The Lehman Trilogy feels a bit empty, and maybe it’s supposed to, as that’s what capitalism is. The narrative is devoid of compassion and feelings, which creates this tangible emptiness. The feeling when you’re walking out of the theatre is the same feeling you can identify when you have taken in the narrative of The Great Gatsby, this feeling of complete void. It’s an intellectual take on capitalism and immigration and the American Dream, but without the emotions, will it resonate with audiences? Will they walk away with parts of the story lodged in their hearts? Probably not.
The play spans 150 years of the Lehman Brothers and their business, looking at multiple generations, storytelling in three parts, in many vignettes. It starts with the three brothers, Henry Lehman (Michael Rubenfeld) the eldest, Emanuel Lehman (Alex Poch-Goldin) the middle brother, and Mayer Lehman (Diane Flacks) the youngest. The story follows the brothers through their Jewish rituals, the building of their business as tailors, to selling cotton, to becoming the middlemen, to being one of the biggest banks in the world.
The play is written like poetry. There are refrains throughout and sayings that almost become melodic. The performances of the artists on stage is truly remarkable. The sheer volume of words on stage is epic, and the artists embody every character without costume changes. The is very masculine play though, with a distinct lack of women’s voices, even though there is a female artist onstage. The female characters don’t have any weight in the story, they are just passing through. Directors Sarah Garton Stanley ensures that each scene is thoughtful and highly designed along with Amy Keith’s set and costume design paired with projection design by HAUI. Sound design by Michael Gesy completes the theatrical package, ensuring theatre magic, without anything over the top.
It makes a for a simple telling of a story that burns itself out with greed and a vicarious appetite for more. Is that the American dream?
The Lehman Trilogy by Stefano Massini, presented by Theatre Calgary in partnership with Arts Commons Presents runs until this weekend. The last performance is November 3rd. More information is available online.
Photo: (l to r) Michael Rubenfeld, Alex Poch-Gold in in The Lehman Trilogy. Photo: Trudie Lee.