The writer of The Lehman Trilogy praised the three actors who bring the story to life and admitted he initially planned to have 18 cast members.
Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Ben Miles play the brothers who founded the family firm that became a financial giant, as well as their sons, grandsons and a host of other minor characters.
Ben Power, who adapted the original Italian text for the stage, said the idea developed as he worked with director Sam Mendes. “We began with, I think, 18 actors and then every couple of days we shed a few, until by the end of the week we were doing it with just the three,” he said. “They love it, it’s a gift, they get to play 100 characters and they get to show their full range and ability.”
The story traces the family’s rise from immigrants in America’s Deep South to the firm’s collapse in 2008, when it filed for bankruptcy, sparking the global financial crisis.
Power said the play, which previously had sell-out runs at the National Theatre and on Broadway, struck a chord with audiences who had witnessed that “totemic moment”. He said: “I think there is a real hunger to understand how we got to that point.”
