Una Historia con Legado e Impacto
One of my favorite audiobooks of all time, -because for me, some books are meant to be read and others to be consumed in audio format-, is My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray. In the midst of all the Hamilton The Musical hullabaloo, I could not bring myself to read Ron Chernow’s thick, thick book the musical was based on, so I chose this one instead. I bring this, dear reader, because historical fiction is fun, and after seeing Cygnet Theatre’s latest production, The Lehman Trilogy, I am wondering why Stefano Massini, an Italian novelist and playwright, chose to write a play about American capitalism.
The story of three Bavarian Jewish brothers who came to Montgomery, Alabama, in the late 1800s with nothing and gradually built an empire that would last almost 200 years, ending in shattering fashion.
A running time of three hours and forty minutes with two intermissions, ‘Trilogy features Jacob Caltrider as Mayer Lehman; Steven Lone as Emmanuel Lehman; and Bruce Turk as Henry Lehman. Massini’s work is well-crafted, and each act covers important periods in history, from slavery to the Civil War, World War I, and II, all the way to Black Thursday and 9/11. While in parallel, the Lehman brothers go from vendors to middlemen, traders, bankers, and stockholders. Truly bringing a fascinating dive into all of these historic chapters and their international impact. Another thing Massini covers is assimilation: how people who came to the United States from other countries changed their names to Americanize, only for their kids to lose the language, along with family roots and traditions.
The three actors play the brothers as a base, and interpret more than 70 roles throughout the performance, which is directed by Kim Strassburger, showing a pristine, precise, and synchronized trace, contoured with amazing physicality as all three come, go, and climb on and off Matt Herman’s scenic design, consisting of tables, chairs, and white filing boxes, all contoured by Blake McCarty’s projections that went from video of different cities to Wallstreet numbers, truly emphasizing each moment. Jeanne Reith’s costumes, consisting of long dark grey suits, match the scenery while capturing the entrepreneur, money feel.
Strassburger also marked a great rhythm amongst the trio, where even when a word slipped or was missed, it did not matter, as the dialogue flowed, showing the interpretative mastery of these actors. Bruce Turk, with a majestic poise and great accents from German to Irish to Southern, as well as Steven Lone with the New Yorker tone, German, Southerner, all done amazingly, courtesy of Vanessa Dinning’s coaching. Lone’s performance is powerful, having grit and intention. I do not know if there is something Jacob Caltrider cannot do. The man sings, dances, and performs to the core. After this run, he can add “baby cry” to his resume, as that was done perfectly, too.
The verdict: Caltrider, Lone, and Turk prove a spot-on casting effort.
It would be interesting to see a performance with the understudies as well. (If you get to, dear reader, let me know in the comments 🙂).
All the design elements in this production are perfectly matched. Sammy Webster’s lighting, with a Rubik’s Cube/seventies disco vibe, definitely livened the scenes; it was the straight lights with bright whites, reds, and oranges that truly made the audience’s hearts skip a couple of beats. George Ye’s sound design with ambient effects and truly beautiful music amplified the frame in a wonderful way.
The script also includes different languages spoken throughout the play as well as prayers in Hebrew. Props to Todd Salovey, the cultural consultant, for another titanic effort in this production.
Bonnie Durben is responsible for props, Peter Herman for wig/makeup design, and Emerson Clarke for assistant director and assistant dramaturg.
Even though The Lehman Trilogy is practically four hours long, each act goes by fast, hand in hand with cliffhangers (almost literally), a pass to intermission. The run has been extended and is practically sold out. I would recommend you see it, as it is a great piece of theatre.
If you are like my husband, who is obsessed with politics, history, and the stock market, then this one is definitely for you. Playing until April 26.
Ali Flores is the Stage Manager, and Katie Chiyoko Davis is the Assistant Stage Manager.
