You have only Friday night and Saturday to see the hottest play in town: “The Lehman Trilogy” at the Park Avenue Armory. Alas, you’re going to need Lehman brothers money (well, before the firm’s bankruptcy) to buy a ticket. The remaining few are going for as much as $1,300 on Stubhub.
No show is worth that kind of money, frankly, but “The Lehman Trilogy” is remarkable. A stage biography, it follows the three Lehman brothers as they arrive from Germany in the 19th century with no money, build up a business in the South and go on to create what becomes one of the most powerful financial institutions in the world. It’s a giant Wikipedia entry that manages to become compelling theater thanks to three sensational actors — Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Ben Miles — and Sam Mendes’ whirling direction. The glass office of Lehman Brothers spins, while a cyclorama depicts the sea, New York Harbor, a burning cotton field and the Manhattan skyline of the 19th century. The show runs three and a half hours but never lags.
If you miss “Lehman” now, can you catch it later? Sources say that Mendes and London’s National Theatre, where the show originated, desperately want to bring it to Broadway. But the actors have to do the show in the West End for 12 weeks this summer and may not want to commit to at least a six-month run in New York.
If they’re game, “The Lehman Trilogy” will open on Broadway in the fall. “It’s entirely up to them,” says a source. “Sam is not going to rehearse three new actors. That will take too much time.”
If the play does land on Broadway, it’s the immediate front-runner to win the Tony in 2020.
And what about the winner for Best Play in 2019? I’m happy to report that an interesting race is shaping up.
In the lead is “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a massive hit grossing $1.6 million a week. Adapted by Aaron Sorkin from Harper Lee’s beloved novel, the show has recouped, so it’s got many happy investors, lots of them Tony voters. And there will be a national tour, meaning there will also be a nice chunk of votes from road presenters who’ll get the show in their markets.
But “Mockingbird” has a rival: Jez Butterworth’s “The Ferryman.” Its weekly gross has fallen from a high of $1 million in December to over $500,000 now, but the critically acclaimed production has many champions among Tony voters.
There’s talk that Heidi Schreck’s “What the Constitution Means to Me” could be a spoiler, but I sense its prospects have dimmed after losing the Pulitzer Prize this week to “Fairview.”
“It’s certainly engaging, but it’s predictable in the age of Trump, and it’s not epic the way ‘Mockingbird’ and ‘Ferryman’ are,” one Tony voter says.
Another show to keep an eye on is “Ink,” a deliciously fun look at the rise of media mogul (and Post owner) Rupert Murdoch. If Tony voters were newspaper people, “Ink” would win, hands down. They’re not, so it’s a long shot.
If you see it Tuesday night at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, stick around afterward for a chat I’m having onstage with playwright James Graham. We won’t pull any punches about the world of tabloid journalism.
You can hear Michael Riedel weekdays on “Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning” on WOR radio 710.