The Lehman Trilogy

(Piccadilly Theatre, 30 July 2019)

The play is about three Jews’ journey to America. And yet the play is not about immigration, America, or Jewry. The play is about commitment to adventure (perhaps, with a concomitant commitment to avoid certain misadventure); immigration is but a commitment tool. The play is about trust and rivalry between business partners; both are often found among family members. The play is also about the ever evolving trust among market participants. Finally, the play is about daring and luck.

The play is an ode to capitalism, which forges connections. Capitalism also purportedly brainwashes the public to buy (and, so, to create and to sell). Even so, the mantra that buying is necessary for survival is better than the alternative mantra that killing, pillaging, and raping are necessary to justify and enhance one’s existence. Buying and thinking one is winning is better than thinking one is being taken advantage of. To trade rather than to war is the hallmark of civilisation.

In the play, an exchange occurring during a stock market crash suggests how the expectation of government intervention, however well intentioned, may exacerbate a bank run. The government waits for the first banks, the scape goats, to fail. The remaining banks are to be bailed out. The recognition of this strategy prompts banks to refrain from lending to each other, thereby justifying bank runs and precipitating the collapse of the financial system.

Adam Godley shines, in each of the many parts he plays, spanning both genders and all ages, from an infant to a 140-year old. His dance number (with expert support from his two co-stars) is a standalone masterpiece. All three actors shine in their multi-character play, which only occasionally distracts away from the characters themselves.