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Sam Mendes' Acclaimed The Lehman Trilogy To Have Fourth Run In London? Report
Sam Mendes' The Lehman Trilogy will return to London for a fourth run. Read on to learn more about it in detail.
Sam Mendes is returning to London for a fourth time with his well-known play, The Lehman Trilogy. The play is regarded as a modern classic and won a Tony Award. It recently concluded a 16-week run that began in May of last year at the Gillian Lynne Theatre.
The play has been a big success, especially since NT Live presented it in theaters. Mendes co-founded Neal Street Productions, whose Caro Newling mentioned that the play was in high demand.
The Lehman Trilogy: A story of brothers and beginnings
The National Theatre and Neal Street's new production will play at the Gillian Lynne Theatre from September 24 to January 5, 2025, for a 14-week limited run. The drama tells the story of the founding Lehman brothers, Henry, Mayer, and Emanuel, who immigrated to New York from Bavaria in 1844 and founded Lehman Brothers. John Heffernan, Aaron Krohn, and Howard W. Overshown are now portraying these characters in San Francisco until June 23.
The Lehman Trilogy, which premiered at the National's Lyttelton Theatre in 2018, has been watched by nearly 500,000 people worldwide. Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, and Ben Miles reprised their roles as the show relocated to the Piccadilly Theatre in the West End. After runs in New York, including a brief Broadway engagement because of the pandemic, it returned to London and won five Tony Awards.
During a performance at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, John Kerry, then-President Joe Biden's special climate envoy, called the show "extraordinary" and "riveting."
The producer, Newling, claims that viewers connect with it every time they see it. In addition to being a story about three brothers who relocate to a new country and leave everything behind, it could also be about the 2008 financial crisis. They must start over in a foreign land.
According to Newling, the play's emotional impact and depiction of a family's struggle across generations are what make it appealing. The brothers built an empire that their heirs failed to maintain.
Newling mentioned that many families have a history of moving to new countries in search of a fresh start, which is something that people relate to. Stefano Massini composed an epic poem.
Ben Powers adapted this poem from an English translation to form the Lehman Trilogy. Mendes directed the play. This was created in the National Theatre's workshop studio and debuted successfully at the Lyttelton Theatre.
From understudy to star: Heffernan's journey
After Adrian Schiller passed away unexpectedly during the tour, Heffernan joined without warning. In about two weeks he picked up the role of Henry Lehman. Renowned actor Heffernan, who has acted in the West End and on television, called the role thrilling and demanding. He used the intensity of the play to compare and contrast the rise and fall of the Lehman family.
Krohn and Overshown's work with Mendes began long before The Lehman Trilogy, most notably with The Bridge Project at the Old Vic and Brooklyn Academy of Music. Krohn expanded his experience by appearing in Mendes' Cabaret at Studio 54. Both actors appeared on stage in Daniel Sullivan's 2005 Broadway production of Julius Caesar. Despite their impressive track record, Krohn regards The Lehman Trilogy at the Gillian Lynne Theatre as his "proper" West End debut, emphasizing the importance of this production in his career.
Thinking back on his transition from understudy to star, Overshown recalled seeing the show for the first time in New York and then taking over as Emanuel's understudy when the show transferred to Broadway. After Adrian Schiller died suddenly, John Heffernan took over as Henry Lehman. He fit right in with the group and developed a great rapport with Krohn and Overshown.
Mendes' most recent London productions, including Jez Butterworth's The Hills of California and The Motive and the Cue, will soon be staged on Broadway. These performances highlight the director's ongoing success with his talented cast.
To demonstrate the lasting impact of their performances, Gatis, Flynn, and Middleton will all reprise their roles in The Motive and the Cue in New York City. Gatis was particularly praised for his portrayal of Gielgud, which earned him the prestigious Best Actor Olivier Award.
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