I sat in the Belfry lobby to read this script—and couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t stop until I finished it. Why—? Because:
• Stefano Massini and Ben Power have shaped this story in a way that grabs your intellect and your imagination;
• it has momentum. It’s a sweeping saga—years and years and world changing events go flying by with relentless motion;
• it is an indictment of capitalism. In the years between 1844 and 2008, the play takes us from the America of opportunity and enterprise to the America of “the one percent;” from the world of craft and product to the world of zeroes, zeroes, zeroes—with nothing but paper to show for it.
• it is a celebration of theatre in its purest form: actors on a stage telling a story—and keeping their audience engaged and excited.
• and it’s a showcase (and a challenge—!) for three exceptional actors;
• and I love the humanity of the play: the idea of the original three brothers relating the tale of the Lehman Brothers business—from its humble beginnings to a world of greed and corruption they could never have envisioned—or condoned—!
Michael Shamata, Artistic Director