Play: The Lehman Trilogy

Last night, off to The Lehman Trilogy, at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Based on the true story of the bank that collapsed. Got the last £39.50 ticket! Unfortunately, it's an early start - and the boss just noticed last week that I didn't get invited to the new session of Wednesday meetings. Which run on late. So, I thought it'd be rushed to eat - unless I went to Pret.

Well yippee, the meeting finished early! May they all do so. So I got to GBK - I decided not to risk eating closer, and felt like GBK anyway. And it was lovely - although it beats me why they put such large chicken escalopes in the chicken burgers! They're lovely - but they're twice the length of the bun they're nominally placed in. I ended up cutting off the end of it and eating it separately..

Well, after that, I still had time to walk to the theatre. I'd mistaken which one it was.. this one is in Drury Lane. And it was crammed, a reception crowding the lobby. They either forgot to check my bag, or decided it wasn't worth it. Anyway, happily, my ticket mentioned which door I needed, and I spotted it on my way to the bar - as she said, I was doing better than most, knowing already where I was going!

Now, on Tuesday, I had an horrendous climb to my level - it was nearly as bad last night, although I didn't actually count the steps. And there are only two levels here! At least I'm getting exercise. I was also a bit worried, after my experience on Tuesday, about the legroom - the information email they sent warned that my seat was on the end of the row, with no aisle, and had less legroom than other seats. Well, I needn't have worried about that! Even at that, I had plenty - more than twice the legroom of Tuesday. And a large space to dump my stuff in - spare space, because of the curvature of the rows. And the view was almost perfect - except that the set has a roof, and there's one scene, where a couple of the actors stand on a table, and I couldn't see their faces. Otherwise perfect. It's also nice that you can bring in your drink.

Now, this is a long play. But it is excellent! Well worth the effort, please believe me. The writing is tremendous. The play evolves over three acts, with an interval between each two. Part I, Three Brothers, concerns the original Lehman brothers, German Jews who arrived in America in the 19th century. They settled in Montgomery, Alabama, and with keen business acumen, soon saw that the big money was in the cotton trade. But the Civil War decimated the Southern plantations, and put paid to that as a money-making enterprise. So they got into banking. Then, gee, one of the brothers paid a visit to New York, and saw that was where the big money was being made. So, off they went..

Part II is Fathers and Sons, where we meet the next generation, who take the business to new heights. And Part III, The Immortal, refers principally to Philip Lehman, as we see the business move into the modern era, and its final phase, as it sees the last connection with the family cut, and heads for its inevitable decline.

The set is a revolving cube, with glass walls, representing offices, or whatever it needs to. Projections on the back wall represent whatever scene we're in, be it the cotton fields of the south, or the skyscrapers of New York - and also give a sense of what we're supposed to be feeling: from the optimism as new family members come up with new, exciting, and lucrative ideas, to the gloom of financial disasters. Only three actors - who represent everyone in the play, without ever changing costume: but it's so well-written, and acted, that it doesn't matter.

The script is stunning. And this is a real love letter to the old style of banking, and the founders of the company - most disparaging of the new generation who bring in computers, and a less wholesome way of doing business. And yes, it is surprisingly moving - and never less than enthralling. Forget the idea of having to sit through the fusty story of a banking dynasty - this is the story of a family who were very good at making money, and the entrepreneurial spirit that always sustained them. And it's never less than enthralling.

Runs till the 20th May - and tickets from next month can be got really cheaply, at time of writing.. Highly recommended.

Couldn't blog last night, had to be up for a morning meeting. Tonight, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for Winner's Curse, at the Park Theatre - an interactive show about a peace negotiation. Turns out North London Friends are headed to it tonight too - what, are they now copying this group, as another group did some time ago? (since closed down). Left it so late I'll have to eat at Pret, ironically!

Tomorrow, I'm back to Ireland again. Now that the full weekend listings for Ireland are finally out, I'm thinking the weekend film is like to be The Whale, starring Brendan Fraser in an Oscar-nominated performance as a morbidly obese English teacher, looking to reconnect with his estranged daughter. Funnily enough, I was thinking the Omniplex, as Ennis doesn't have a time early enough - but the original listing I saw in the Omniplex was wrong, and now it seems they don't either! So I'll head to the Odeon - more expensive, but what can you do?

On Monday, I'm headed to Allegiance, starring George Takei in a musical based on the true story of his time in an American internment camp during the Second World War. Showing at the Charing Cross Theatre.

On Tuesday, back to the cinema - for Tár, finally, in which Cate Blanchett is Oscar-nominated for her part as a driven, genius classical conductor. Looks nice and tense - and I'm lucky to be able to see it, as it's no longer showing in Ireland, and is mostly showing in the daytime in London! Finsbury Park Picturehouse is the closest venue to me that's showing it in the evening.

On Wednesday, back with UITCS at the Orange Tree - first time in an age - for Duet for One, starring Tara Fitzgerald.

And next Thursday, my first event with The Hideout: Horror Sci-Fi Club London, who are at The Drayton Arms for a play, The Shroud of Charon - part of their Lovecraft Festival!