Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...Three main truths roll down from the stage of the Broadway Playhouse in “The Lehman Trilogy.” One is that hubris long has been the biggest human trap, whether you’re a celebrity, a presidential candidate or a businessperson. The second is that American capitalism has always relied on both chutzpah and psychological manipulation. And the third is that grown kids are just as likely to subvert their parents as to follow their ways."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...In telling the story of the Lehman family from the 1848 arrival in the United States of the first of three immigrant brothers to the failure of their eponymous company in 2008, “The Lehman Trilogy” takes on an epic, sweeping scope. With three actors."
Daily Herald - Highly Recommended
"...TimeLine Theatre's bravura Chicago-area premiere of "The Lehman Trilogy," Italian writer Stefano Massini's expansive drama chronicling the rise and fall of the financial powerhouse, commences with news reports announcing the firm's 2008 failure and the global financial crisis that followed."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Stalling and Bowling helm a three-person cast-Mitchell J. Fain, Anish Jethmalani, and Joey Slotnick-that is unique among Broadway in Chicago productions in that cast and crew alike have deep Chicago roots. This is a production built here, not an attempted replica of a Broadway hit that's been bus-and-trucked in before it heads off to Peoria."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended
"...The Lehman Trilogy is at once a beautiful story of generations of a family, a cautionary tale, an indictment of capitalism and an immigrant’s saga. Three Jewish brothers came to America before the Civil War, and as scrappy smart immigrants often do,they work their way up to incredible wealth and power through at least 3 generations."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...You might ask “What is The Lehman Trilogy” about? It is all about “The American Dream” and three brothers who came here from Europe to seek their fame and as it turned out fortune. Written by Stefano Massini and adapted by Ben Power, this story takes us into the Lehman Brothers, led by Henry (Mitchell J. Fain is amazing). He is the first to arrive, followed by brother Emanuel (deftly handled by Anish Jethmalani) and then, Mayer (played to perfection by Joey Slotnick). The story tells us the story of hos these three men were able to create a banking business from being simple haberdashers."
WTTW - Highly Recommended
"...And now, in its Chicago premiere (a joint production by TimeLine Theatre and Broadway in Chicago) it is being ideally performed by three fabulously gifted Chicago actors - Mitchell J. Fain (as Henry Lehman), Anish Jethmalani (as Emanuel), and Joey Slotnick (as Mayer) - under the dynamic direction of Nick Bowling and Vanessa Stalling. And it plays out on a set of sheer brilliance designed by Collette Pollard."
Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...Ultimately, The Lehman Brothers Trilogy (a pretentious title, by the way; this is merely a play in three acts) resembles, in its oddly gentle and uncritical tone, nothing so much as one of those privately published corporate hagiographies commissioned by a company’s PR department to illustrate the high points of the company’s history and handed out to employees at the firm’s 100th anniversary party. Those books (which no one ever actually reads) don’t dwell on subjects like slavery or bankruptcy either. And they aren’t meant to last. Massini’s play has been a success d’estime since its first production in 2013. But if ever there’s been a play that was purely a product of its time, this is it; as it is, it’s barely worth seeing now, and I can’t imagine it will be considered an attractive revival another decade from now."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...Playwright Stefano Massini tells the origin story of three immigrant brothers turning an Alabama clothing store into an NYC financial empire. Massini debuted his epic tale in 2015 in Milan. It was adapted by Ben Power for the National Theatre in London in 2018. And was transferred to Broadway and won several Tony Awards including Best Play in 2022."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...Timeline Theatre's new production of The Lehman Trilogy tells the story of the rise and fall of an iconic American business-starting as an Alabama dry goods merchant and becoming one of our greatest investment banking houses. This story of the three Lehman brothers and the businesses they found is a prototypical immigrant story that ends with the firm's role in the subprime mortgage crisis and market crash of 2007-08 that became known as the Great Recession. It's a drama about greed, capitalism and brotherhood-and the centuries-long story is all performed by three actors."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Timeline Theatre, which is building a new home on the north side, is proving once again (as it did with Oslo) that renting a space isn't so bad when you can use one as inviting as Broadway In Chicago's Broadway Playhouse. Its new production of the Tony-winning The Lehman Trilogy is beyond wonderful thanks to some great acting, directing, and design work...and the brilliant Stefano Massini script that does what should have been impossible: condensing the generations-long story of a brokerage firm into three hours of entrancing theatre."
PicksInSix - Highly Recommended
"...“The Lehman Trilogy” serves as a rich and compelling reflection of our troubling financial times and a largely fact-based interpretation of the journey that led to this unimaginable end. The story hinges on the notion that the events that we know all too well are actually a consequence of succession and not of the vision and passion of its founders."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...Anyone would agree, a 3 hour long play (or movie for that matter) is intimidating and maybe even a bit unnecessary! Trust me when I tell you that typically, sitting through a play of this length, especially if the seats are not well cushioned, is a dreadfully painful experience. However, I am pleased to say that The Lehman Trilogy was not that. Yes, there were three acts and two intermissions, but it felt like an hour and a half experience - so much so that when it was in the final few minutes, it almost felt that the ending was abrupt and I wasn't ready for it to end."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The story by Massini-originally five hours long but trimmed by Power-is fun, moves fast and is very interesting. Fain, Jethmalani and Slotnick pull triple duty, acting every role-three generations of Lehman men and their wives-with pert vivacity, athletic stamina and loads of charm. Direction by Bowling and Stalling make use of ominous lighting, projection and minor special effects to turn the mountains of boxes in the background into rural countryside and a sprawling cityscape. The quality of the production is enough to make you forget your politics."
