PURE Theatre is proud to announce The Lehman Trilogy, winner of the 2022 Tony Award for Best New Play, written by Stefano Massini and adapted by Ben Power. The show will run from January 11 through February 10 at the Cannon Street Arts Center (134 Cannon Street, Charleston, SC 29403).
Weaving together nearly two centuries of family history, this epic 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. “A vibrant yarn about greed and American values,” The Lehman Trilogy is the quintessential story of Western capitalism, rendered through the lens of a single immigrant family.
PURE Artistic Director Sharon Graci directs the show, which features PURE Core Ensemble members David Mandel, R.W. Smith, and Michael Smallwood.
“It’s just a gorgeous show,” states Graci. “There’s a reason that this play is the fourth-most-produced play in professional theatres this season, and we’re thrilled to be bringing it to Charleston. What I love most is that the play is so open to the artists creating within it. It is so lyrically and beautifully written that the story of these brothers—and the empire that they built—just flows effortlessly. If you read comments from other productions, audiences use words like, ‘mesmerizing,’ ‘compelling,’ and ‘epic.’ The Lehman Trilogy is, wonderfully, all of those things.”
Stefano Massini is the first Italian author to receive a Tony Award. He is a novelist and playwright, who regularly contributes to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. For several years he has served as artistic consultant at Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d'Europa. His 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, and staged by directors such as Luca Ronconi and Sam Mendes.
Ben Power is a Tony Award-winning writer for theatre, television and film. Since 2010, he has worked with the National Theatre, including six years as Deputy Artistic Director and two years programming The Shed. In addition to The Lehman Trilogy, his adaptations for the National Theatre include DH Lawrence's Husbands & Sons, Euripides' Medea, and Ibsen's Emperor & Galilean. He has worked as dramaturg and writer for companies such as the RSC, Complicité, and Headlong, where he was Associate Director and created adaptations of Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author and Marlowe's Dr Faustus.
Tickets for The Lehman Trilogy range from $47 to $53. There will be an ASL-interpreted performance on Sunday, February 4 at 3pm. There will be two Pay What You Will Performances on January 11 and 17 and Pay What You Will tickets will be available for online purchase starting December 18. There are also $10 student tickets available for every show. Tickets are available now for online purchase at puretheatre.org. The Lehman Trilogy is also available through the Season 21 Flex Pass, which includes flexible tickets along with a host of other benefits.
Additional information about The Lehman Trilogy and the Season 21 Flex Pass can be found on PURE’s website at puretheatre.org or by calling the box office at 843.723.4444 (Tuesday through Friday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm).