The 2008 finance and housing crash revealed the vulnerabilities in our biggest financial institutions, which had devastating impacts. Lesser known to us are the human beings behind the money and the mayhem.
“The Lehman Trilogy” is the Tony Award-winning play about the founders of the Lehman Brothers investment firm, an epic and true story tracing their immigration from 19th century Germany to becoming New York City power brokers – and losing it all. Presented by Theatrical Outfit and the Bremen, “The Lehman Trilogy” is on stage in the Balzer Theatre at Herren’s from Feb. 5 through March 2.
Director Matt Torney and actor Andrew Benator recently joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes to discuss the upcoming performance.
Torney described the play as an exploration of ambition, capitalism and the shifting nature of the American Dream. “The Lehman Brothers started by selling fabric in Montgomery and ended up dealing in financial abstractions so complex they needed computers to manage them,” he explained to Reitzes. “The play asks, how did we get here?”
The production features just three actors – Andrew Benator, Eric Mendenhall and Brian Kurlander – who switch roles to portray multiple generations of the Lehman family, as well as their business partners, rivals and loved ones.
