by Stefano Massini
adapted by Ben Power
co-directed by
Nick Bowling and Vanessa Stalling

Chicago Premiere

September 19 - November 26, 2023

at Broadway In Chicago's Broadway Playhouse,
at Water Tower Place
175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago

TimeLine presents the Chicago premiere production of the 2022 Tony Award winner for Best Play!

Told in three parts over one evening, The Lehman Trilogy is the quintessential story of western capitalism, rendered through the lens of a single immigrant family. On a cold September morning in 1844, a young Jewish man from Bavaria stands on a New York dockside dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is soon joined by his two brothers, and an American epic begins. 163 years later, the firm they establish—Lehman Brothers—spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy, triggering the largest financial crisis in history. Weaving together nearly two centuries of family history, this theatrical event charts the humble beginnings, outrageous successes, and devastating failure of the financial institution that would ultimately bring the global economy to its knees.

Throughout its production history, The Lehman Trilogy has been met with extraordinary international acclaim. The Guardian proclaimed the original production “a kaleidoscopic social and political metaphor” and “an intimate epic about the shifting definition of the American Dream.” The Chicago Tribune praised it as “a masterwork” and The New York Times as “a vivid tale of profit and pain.” Vanity Fair raved that it is “true blockbuster theatre that will hold you captive until the final curtain call,” with Time Out New York saying “it leaves you dazzled.” And the Wall Street Journal declared that The Lehman Trilogy “surpasses all praise.”

The Lehman Trilogy is supported in part by Richard and Diane Weinberg

Single tickets to The Lehman Trilogy are only available through Broadway In Chicago. Please visit their website to purchase.

A digital lottery for a limited number of $25 seats will be held for every performance of The Lehman Trilogy. Seat locations and the number of tickets awarded by the lottery are always subject to availability. Click here for details and to enter.

CONTENT ADVISORY: To learn more about the specific content and themes of this production, please visit our content advisory page.

Cast

Production Team

Understudies

* Member of Actors Equity Association

# Member of United Scenic Artists

~ Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

+ TimeLine Company Member

^ TimeLine Associate Artist

§ TimeLine Playwrights Collective

Reviews

  • Daily Herald

    September 29, 2023

    “★★★★…superb storytelling, masterful acting define TimeLine’s brilliant Lehman Trilogy“

    —Barbara Vitello

  • Chicago Reader

    October 2, 2023

    “TimeLine at its finest. A show where three hours passes in a flash and leaves an enduring afterburn that will roil in your mind for hours.”

    —Catey Sullivan

  • Chicago Tribune

    September 30, 2023

    “★★★1/2…’The Lehman Trilogy’ is a huge undertaking. Thrilling theatrical storytelling in a potent new staging by TimeLine Theatre. Highly imaginative, honestly performed and gripping.“

    —Chris Jones

  • Chicago Sun-Times

    September 29, 2023

    “★★★1/2…as the founding brothers (and many more characters), Mitchell J. Fain, Anish Jethmalani and Joey Slotnick lift [this] production to a very high level.”

    —Steven Oxman

  • Around the Town Chicago

    September 28, 2023

    “★★★★★…the production itself is sparkling…the audience is held captive and spellbound by the three actors that are onstage the entire time. This is one NOT to be missed!!!“

    —Alan Bresloff

  • Newcity Stage

    October 2, 2023

    “The quality of the production is enough to make you forget your politics. By the end of TimeLine Theatre’s “The Lehman Trilogy” I was left wanting to learn more about this family that, for better or worse, had a big hand in shaping the course of history.”

    —Tristan Burns

  • Broadway World

    September 29, 2023

    “TimeLine’s production finds the balance between the grandiosity of the play’s length and scale, the immense demands placed upon the three actors who tackle it with grace, and the more intimate result of this being a three-hander. This is a big play, but co-directors Nick Bowling and Vanessa Stalling have given the production a sense of intimacy.”

    —Rachel Weinberg

  • Buzz Center Stage

    September 28, 2023

    “a definitive production at TimeLine Theatre….highly recommended for any theatre lover with an interest in historical work.”

    —Nena Martins

Features

  • Chicago Tribune

    September 10, 2023

    According to the cast and directors, TimeLine will offer a distinctly American perspective on this story. “This is very much a homegrown Chicago effort,” said [Anish] Jethmalani. “For folks who have seen the production in London or New York, they’re going to be coming to something new.”

    —Emily McClanathan

    Read the full feature

  • Windy City Times

    September 5, 2023

    “There is a lot of preparation. We have two dramaturgs and the head of the Jewish Studies department of American University in DC sitting with us during table reads. We have two dialect coaches. The set design is next level. TimeLine Theatre Company gives excellence all around!” [says Henry Lehman actor, Mitchell Fain.]

    —Jerry Nunn

    Read the full feature

  • Wednesday Journal

    August 29, 2023

    Family! Ambition! The collapse of an American investment banking company that contributed to the global financial crisis of 2007-09! “The Lehman Trilogy” has it all — and it stars Oak Park actor Anish Jethmalani.

    “It’s really quite a ride,” Jethmalani said of the play at the Broadway Playhouse.

    —Stacey Sheridan

    Read the full feature

Discussions & Events

  • THE LEHMAN TRILOGY: Virtual Discussion with the Cast
    Sunday, October 8 at 11am

    Join via Zoom for an informal discussion with members of the cast.

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  • THE LEHMAN TRILOGY: Virtual Sunday Scholars Discussion
    Sunday, October 15 at 6pm

    An online panel discussion featuring experts on the play’s themes.

    Read More
  • THE LEHMAN TRILOGY: Virtual Discussion with the Dramaturgs
    Monday, October 23 at 7pm

    Join via Zoom for an informal discussion with the dramaturgs.

    Read More