Broadway In Chicago is pleased to announce casting for TimeLine Theatre Company’s Chicago premiere production of Stefano Massini and Ben Power’s internationally acclaimed and Tony Award-winning play THE LEHMAN TRILOGY.
The cast includes three actors with extensive roots in Chicago’s renowned theatre scene—Mitchell Fain, Anish Jethmalani, and Joey Slotnick.
Mitchell Fain (he/him) portrays Henry Lehman. A working actor, director, and storyteller in Chicago for more than 30 years, Fain is known for his eight years starring in David Sedaris' THE SANTALAND DIARIES at Theater Wit, among numerous other credits.
TimeLine Company Member Anish Jethmalani (he/him) portrays Emanuel Lehman. In addition to his numerous credits in Chicago, regionally, and on screen, Jethmalani received a Jeff Award nomination for his performance in the company's 2019 production of OSLO (also at the Broadway Playhouse).
And Joey Slotnick (he/him) makes his TimeLine debut as Mayer Lehman. A longtime Lookingglass Theatre Ensemble Member, where he has performed in multiple productions, Slotnick is nationally recognized for his lengthy career of high-profile roles on film (PIRATES OF SILICON VALLEY, TOO BIG TO FAIL, TWISTER), television (BOSTON PUBLIC, THE SINGLE GUY, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL), Broadway (THE BIG KNIFE, THE FRONT PAGE), and more.
“TimeLine is thrilled to welcome these three extraordinary actors to our production of the monumental play THE LEHMAN TRILOGY,” said TimeLine Artistic Director PJ Powers. “Tailor-made for TimeLine’s mission of exploring history, the theatrical ambition of this play is thrilling, yet told in an astonishingly simple way, utilizing only these three actors to bring to life more than 150 years of storytelling. The opportunity for Nick Bowling and Vanessa Stalling to envision a new production specifically for Chicago audiences, with Chicago artists, is an honor—as is the furthering of our relationship with Broadway In Chicago, with whom we partnered on another epic Tony Award-winning play, OSLO, in 2019.”
THE LEHMAN TRILOGY is co-directed by TimeLine Associate Artistic Director Nick Bowling (he/him) and Vanessa Stalling (she/her). The rest of the production team includes Scenic Designer Collette Pollard (she/her), Costume Designer Izumi Inaba (she/her), Lighting Designer John Culbert (he/him), Co-Properties Designers Lonnae Hickman (she/her) and Amy Peter (she/her), Sound Designer Andre Pluess (he/him), Projections Designer Tony Churchill (he/him), Dramaturgs Carol Ann Tan (she/her) and DeRon Williams (he/him), Jewish Studies Consultant Pamela Nadell (she/her), and Stage Manager Mary Zanger (she/her).
THE LEHMAN TRILOGY will run September 19 – October 29, 2023 at Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. Opening Night is Wednesday, September 27 at 7:30 p.m.
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.
TimeLine’s production of THE LEHMAN TRILOGY is its Chicago premiere. The Italian theatre production had its world premiere in 2015 at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, directed by the late Italian theater innovator Luca Ronconi. THE LEHMAN TRILOGY made its English-language debut in London on July 12, 2018 at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre. On October 14, 2021, the play opened on Broadway. Both the London and Broadway premieres were directed by Sam Mendes.
Throughout its production history, THE LEHMAN TRILOGY has been met with extraordinary international acclaim. The Guardian proclaimed it “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 TRIOLOGY “surpasses all praise.”
THE LEHMAN TRILOGY received five 2022 Tony Awards, including Best Play, plus Drama League and Outer Critics Circle awards, and was nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards, including Best New Play.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE AND LOCATION
TimeLine’s Chicago premiere of THE LEHMAN TRILOGY begins performances on Tuesday, September 19. Opening Night is Wednesday, September 27 at 7:30 p.m. Performances run through October 29, 2023 at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago.
The performance schedule is Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. (also 2 p.m. matinees on October 4, 11, and 25), Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (except no 7:30 p.m. shows on October 8, 15, 29).
TICKET INFORMATION
THE LEHMAN TRILOGY is part of the Broadway In Chicago season on sale and TimeLine Theatre's 2023-24 FlexPass Subscription. Individual tickets for THE LEHMAN TRILOGY will go on sale in July 2023 (specific date to be announced). Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing GroupSales@BroadwayInChicago.com. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com or www.timelinetheatre.com.
ABOUT TIMELINE THEATRE
TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Currently celebrating its 26th season (now playing is Heidi Schreck's WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME by Heidi Schreck, directed by Helen Young, through July 2), TimeLine has presented 85 productions, including 12 world premieres and 39 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program, which brings the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools. Recipient of the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 60 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times. The company is currently working to develop its new home, located at 5035 North Broadway in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Plans feature an intimate black box theater seating up to 250 audience members, expanded area for the immersive lobby experiences that are a TimeLine hallmark, new opportunities for education and engagement, room to allow audience members to arrive early and stay late for theatergoing experiences that extend far beyond the stage, and more.
TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Executive Director Mica Cole, and Board President John Sterling. TimeLine Company members are Tyla Abercrumbie, Will Allan, Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Behzad Dabu, Charles Andrew Gardner, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Anish Jethmalani, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, and Maren Robinson.
Major corporate, government and foundation donors providing season support via TimeLine’s Annual Fund include: Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation; Crown Family Philanthropies; Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation; Laughing Acres Family Foundation; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at Prince; National Endowment for the Arts; Polk Bros. Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; Van Dam Charitable Foundation; and Walder Foundation. TimeLine also acknowledges the support of a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events and a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com or Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@TimeLineTheatre).
ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 22 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Auditorium Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.
For more information and tickets, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
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