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| Robert Pescovitz, Bradford Farwell, Brandon J. Simmons in The Lehman Trilogy (Rosemary Dai Ross) |
The Lehman Trilogy
ACT Theatre
ACT Theatre
Through May 19, 2024
Does the ACT Theatre production of The Lehman Trilogy stand
up to the play? Or does the play stand up to ACT’s version?
Of the Broadway production in 2021, Charles Isherwood,
critic at Broadway News, said, “But for all its surface stylishness, "The
Lehman (Trilogy)" is a stolid and rather monolithic slab of a show: a
three hour and twenty minute talking Wikipedia page, so dense with description
and narration, and devoid of drama - or even dialogue - that watching it is
like watching very expensive paint dry, or maybe, to use a more apt metaphor,
listening to cotton growing.”
There are a lot of glowing reviews out there that beckon you
to come see an amazing story. The story is, indeed, amazing, though 160 years
in the making. However, the script by Ben Power (from the first iteration by
Stephano Massini), is written in what Seattle might think of as “The Book-It
Style” where people refer to themselves in third person (Henry says, “He looked
hard at his brother.” While looking hard at his brother.).
Book-It Repertory Theatre used that style often to great
effect while also working very hard to theatricalize the novel it was based
upon. Here, though, it’s a history book. This history tries to conflate decades
into three plus hours. Three actors portray three brothers and all the myriad
other characters throughout their lives.
