PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Arden Theatre in Old City is presenting the Tony Award-winning play “The Lehman Trilogy,” a story about the family behind one of the biggest investment banks — and one of the biggest collapses — in the world.
The story spans centuries with only three actors, each playing roughly 20 different characters throughout the show.
It begins in 1844, when the Lehman brothers immigrated from Bavaria, and takes the audience all the way to 2008, when Lehman Brothers bank filed for bankruptcy, propelling a global financial crisis.
“It’s not a polemic against capitalism, I think, but it’s a very sober look at what happened and what led to the collapse, because it wasn’t just this company that collapsed,” said Scott Greer, one of the actors in the Arden production. “Their collapse caused a major global financial crisis.”
While Greer said the Lehmans’ story shows America’s rise as a global economic powerhouse, it is just as much a story about immigrants fighting for the American dream.
“It’s a story of family,” he said. “It’s a story of immigrants and it’s a story of fathers and sons, wives and mothers.”
“The Lehman Trilogy” won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Play. It has been extended at the Arden Theatre through April 14.