Chicago Premiere

September 19 - November 26, 2023

TimeLine presents the Chicago premiere production of the 2022 Tony Award winner for Best Play!

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.

Throughout its production history, The Lehman Trilogy has been met with extraordinary international acclaim. The Guardian proclaimed the original production “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 Trilogy “surpasses all praise.”

The Lehman Trilogy is supported in part by Richard and Diane Weinberg

Single tickets to The Lehman Trilogy are only available through Broadway In Chicago. Please visit their website to purchase.


A digital lottery for a limited number of $25 seats will be held for every performance of The Lehman Trilogy. Seat locations and the number of tickets awarded by the lottery are always subject to availability. Click here for details and to enter.


CONTENT ADVISORY: To learn more about the specific content and themes of this production, please visit our content advisory page.

Join us via Zoom video conference for this virtual discussion featuring The Lehman Trilogy Jewish Studies Consultant Pamela S. Nadell and dramaturg Carol Ann Tan, in a conversation moderated by TimeLine Company Member and Director of Marketing and Communications Lara Goetsch.


This event has already occurred, but we are preparing a recording of the discussion that you’ll be able to watch on demand, coming soon!

 

Join us via Zoom video conference for this virtual discussion featuring The Lehman Trilogy dramaturg Carol Ann Tan in conversation with Eric Hilt, Professor of Economics at Wellesley College.


Eric Hilt‘s work focuses on the history of American business organizations and their ownership and governance, and more generally on the role of legal institutions in shaping economic and financial development. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University in 2002. His most recent work has analyzed the effect of historical financial crises on the development of financial regulations; the impact of the Panic of 1907 on the American economy; and the evolution of the structure of ownership of American corporations.


This event has already occurred, but you can now watch a recording of the discussion on demand, embedded above and available on TimeLine’s YouTube channel!

Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 2pm (CST)

HE’S BACK! We’re dipping into the archives to revisit TimeLine’s hit production of the musical Fiorello! (first produced in 2006 and remounted in 2008). We’ll reminisce with performance clips from our production and hear behind-the-scenes stories from members of the cast and crew. What was it like to revive this ahead-of-its-time musical? Who was Fiorello H. LaGuardia? How did he help take down the Tammany political machine?

You’ll see clips from our productions and hear recollections from Eva Breneman, Linda Fortunato, Terry Hamilton, Josephine Kearns, Michael Kingston, Andy Nagraj, Doug Peck, PJ Powers, Cassie Slater Wooley, Bethany Thomas, and Mike Tutaj—plus engage with a discussion moderated by Carol Ann Tan and featuring director Nick Bowling; former Illinois State Senator, current Senior Advisor to the Governor on Cannabis Control, and TimeLine Board Member Toi Hutchinson; and Fiorello LaGuardia biographer Mason B. Williams (author of City of Ambition: FDR, LaGuardia, and the Making of Modern New York).

Join us to remember TimeLine’s landmark production and (re)discover why LaGuardia remains one of the most enduring figures of the 20th century.

Watch the Recording


DIG DEEPER:

— Read the 2006 Backstory
— Read the 2008 Backstory