Tony Award-Winning Play THE LEHMAN TRILOGY Makes Its Philadelphia Premiere March 13 At The Arden Theatre

The Lehman Trilogy, the 2022 Tony Award winner for Best Play makes its highly anticipated Philadelphia premiere March 13 at Arden Theatre Company (40 N. 2 Second Street, Philadelphia, PA).

The Lehman Trilogy is the story of a family and a financial company that changed the world. Following a sold-out run in London's West End and eight Tony Award nominations for its Broadway run, the saga soon unfolds on the F. Otto Haas Stage with previews beginning March 7, opening night March 13, with performances through April 7. 

This epic theatrical triumph takes audiences on a three-hour journey exploring nearly two centuries of the Lehman family from their humble beginnings to the devastating failure of a financial institution that would bring the global economy to its knees. 

The Lehman Trilogy by Stefano Massini and adapted by Ben Power is directed by Terrence J Nolen, and co-conceived by Jorge Cousineau and Terrence J. Nolen. 

Beginning on a September morning in 1844, a young man, immigrating from Bavaria, stands on a New York dockside dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is joined by his two brothers, and an American epic begins. 163 years later, the firm they established - Lehman Brothers Inc., collapses into bankruptcy, triggering one of the largest financial crisis in history.

Featuring three of the region's most talented actors, Scott Greer, Charlie DelMarcelle, and Akeem Davis, playing the Lehman brothers, their sons, and grandsons, The Lehman Trilogy is an extraordinary feat of storytelling told in three parts. The actors play more than 50 characters throughout the production, giving life to all those intermingled with the Lehmans and their dealings.

“The Lehman Trilogy is an astonishing theatrical work – telling a sweeping story over the course of three extraordinary acts,” says Terry Nolen, Production Director and Arden's Producing Artistic Director. “There is a reason that this play has become an international sensation, and we are thrilled to be producing the Philadelphia premiere featuring an all-Philadelphia team of actors, designers, technicians, and crew.  We can't wait to introduce our audience to this epic American story.”

Philadelphia-based actor Akeem Davis (Mayer Lehman) has performed numerous times at the Arden in A Streetcar Named Desire (Mitch), Tiny Beautiful Things (Writer #1), Gem of the Ocean (Citizen Barlow), and A Doll's House (Krogstad), for which he won the Barrymore Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Davis' regional work includes roles at The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The Folger Theatre, Theatre Exile, Azuka Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, People's Light, Theatre Horizon, and Simpatico Theatre. Davis was also the recipient of the 2015 F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Philadelphia Theatre Artist.

Charlie DelMarcelle (Emmanuel Lehman) has been working as a professional actor, director, and theatre educator for over twenty years. DelMarcelle has previously appeared at the Arden in August: Osage County (Little Charles), Charlotte's Web (Mr. Arable/Gander) The Jungle Book (Baloo), and Funnyman (Matthew Baroni). Additionally, DelMarcelle has appeared at Walnut Street Theatre, Theater Horizon, Delaware Theatre Co., Inis Nua, The Lantern Theater Co., Act II Playhouse, Azuka Theatre Collective, Delaware Shakespeare Festival, EgoPo Classic Theatre, Shakespeare in Clark Park, Commonwealth Classic Theatre, White Box Theatre, and Amaryllis.

Scott Greer (Henry Lehman) is a six-time Barrymore Award-winning actor well-known to the Arden audience for his roles in Into the Woods (Narrator/Mysterious Man), Wittenberg (Dr. John Faustus), Death of a Salesman (Happy Loman), and Once (Billy). He is a 30-year veteran of Philadelphia theatre and has performed in shows at local theatres, including 1812 Productions, Walnut Street Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, The Wilma Theater, People's Light, Delaware Theatre Company, Theatre Exile, and Act II Playhouse. Greer was also named “Best Theatre Talent” by Philadelphia Magazine.

To support the leading cast in this extensive presentation, The Lehman Trilogy features three additional cast members; understudy actors Adam Howard (u/s Emmanuel Lehman), Gabe Moses (u/s Mayer Lehman), and Kevin Naddeo (u/s Henry Lehman). 

“This show is a feat of artistic strength for any performer, so, when assembling the cast for The Lehman Trilogy, it was essential that the three actors have the exceptional ability to inhabit over 50 characters with the inhale of a breath,” says Jonathan Silver, Production Associate Director and Arden's Associate Artistic Director. “Akeem Davis, Charlie DelMarcelle, and Scott Greer are operating at the height of their careers and audiences will be captivated by their spellbinding capabilities as storytellers.”

The Lehman Trilogy was written by Stefano Massini, the first Italian author and playwright to receive a Tony Award. He is a novelist and playwright whose works, including The Lehman Trilogy, have been translated into 27 languages, and his plays have been performed in more theatres around the world than those of any other living Italian writer, produced as far afield as Iran and Korea. 

The story was adapted by Ben Power, a Tony Award-winning writer for theater, television, and film. Since 2010, he has worked with London's National Theatre, including six years as Deputy Artistic Director and two years programming at the Shed.

The production design team includes Casie Girvin (Assistant Director), Jonathan Silver (Associate Director) Lyndsey Connolly (Stage Manager), Jorge Cousineau (Set & Video Designer), Krista Smith (Lighting Designer), Asaki Kuruma (Costume Designer), Chris Colucci (Sound Designer), Neill Hartley (Dialect Coach), and Melanie Cotton (Movement Coach).

Tickets

Individual tickets begin at $50, with discounts available for students, groups of 10, seniors, children, and teens. Tickets are available online at ardentheatre.org, by phone at 215.922.1122, or at the box office at Arden Theatre Company at 40 N. 2nd Street.

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