ENRON (play)
Encyclopedia
ENRON is a 2009 play by the British playwright Lucy Prebble
, based on the Enron scandal
.
(11 July - 29 August 2009), before London transfers to the Jerwood Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre
from 17 September to 7 November 2009 and then the Noel Coward Theatre
from 16 January to 14 August 2010 (after a cast change on 8 May). Directed by Rupert Goold
, the cast featured Samuel West
as Jeffrey Skilling, Amanda Drew
as Claudia Roe, and Tim Pigott-Smith
as Ken Lay.
ENRON premiered on Broadway
at the Broadhurst Theatre
on April 8, 2010 in previews, with the official opening on April 27. Directed by Rupert Goold, the scenic and costume design was by Anthony Ward, lighting by Mark Henderson, music and sound by Adam Cork, video and projection by Jon Driscoll and movement by Scott Ambler. Gregory Itzin
starred as Kenneth Lay
with Norbert Leo Butz
as Jeffrey Skilling
, Marin Mazzie
as Claudia Roe, and Stephen Kunken
as Andrew Fastow
. The Broadway production of ENRON closed on May 9, 2010; it lasted just over a month. The Guardian
s critic Michael Billington
speculated that it was The New York Times
"hostile" review that contributed to its premature closer. He also stated its failure to earn nominations at the Tony Awards in major categories was its "kiss of death".
ENRON was premiered in Reykjavik City Theatre
in September 2010, in Dublin as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival
in October 2010 and in Helsinki (Helsinki City Theatre) in November 2010.
In The New York Times
review of the Broadway production, Ben Brantley
wrote, contrary to some other critics, "even with a well-drilled cast that includes bright Broadway headliners like Norbert Leo Butz and Marin Mazzie, the realization sets in early that this British-born exploration of smoke-and-mirror financial practices isn’t much more than smoke and mirrors itself. Enron is fast-paced, flamboyant and, despite the head-clogging intricacy of its business mathematics, lucid to the point of simple-mindedness. But as was true of the company of this play’s title, the energy generated here often feels factitious, all show (or show and tell) and little substance."
Michael Billington
, critic for The Guardian
, dubbed Brantley's comments an "obtuse and hostile review", stating that "ENRONs fate was sealed the moment Brantley's review appeared [...] As a fellow critic, I respect Brantley's right to his opinion, what is dismaying is his failure to see what Prebble and Goold were up to [...] But no serious play on Broadway
can survive a withering attack from The New York Times
, which carries the force of a papal indictment".
award for Best New Play and was also nominated for Best Performance in a Play (Samuel West). In the 2009 Evening Standard Theatre Awards, it won Best Director and was nominated for Best Actor (for West) and Best Play (for Prebble). The work received a Tony award
nomination for "Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
".
Lucy Prebble
Lucy Prebble is a British playwright. She is the author of the plays The Sugar Syndrome and ENRON and the television series Secret Diary of a Call Girl.-Biography:...
, based on the Enron scandal
Enron scandal
The Enron scandal, revealed in October 2001, eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation, an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, and the dissolution of Arthur Andersen, which was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world...
.
Productions
ENRON premiered at the Chichester Festival TheatreChichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989....
(11 July - 29 August 2009), before London transfers to the Jerwood Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
from 17 September to 7 November 2009 and then the Noel Coward Theatre
Noël Coward Theatre
The Noël Coward Theatre, formerly known as the Albery Theatre, is a West End theatre on St. Martin's Lane in the City of Westminster. It opened on 12 March 1903 as the New Theatre and was built by Sir Charles Wyndham behind Wyndham's Theatre which was completed in 1899. The building was designed by...
from 16 January to 14 August 2010 (after a cast change on 8 May). Directed by Rupert Goold
Rupert Goold
Rupert Goold is an English theatre director. He is the artistic director of Headlong Theatre and from 2010 he will be an associate director at the Royal Shakespeare Company.- Early years :...
, the cast featured Samuel West
Samuel West
Samuel Alexander Joseph West is an English actor and theatre director. He is perhaps best known for his role in Howards End and his work on stage. He also starred in the award-winning play ENRON...
as Jeffrey Skilling, Amanda Drew
Amanda Drew
Amanda Drew is a British actress. Drew is best known for her role as the psychotic Dr. May Wright in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Biography:...
as Claudia Roe, and Tim Pigott-Smith
Tim Pigott-Smith
Tim Pigott-Smith is an English film and television actor.-Early life:Pigott-Smith was born in Rugby, Warwickshire, the son of Margaret Muriel and Harry Thomas Pigott-Smith, who was a journalist. He was educated at Wyggeston Boys' School, Leicester, King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-Avon, and...
as Ken Lay.
ENRON premiered on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Broadhurst Theatre
Broadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert brothers; the Broadhurst opened 27 September 1917...
on April 8, 2010 in previews, with the official opening on April 27. Directed by Rupert Goold, the scenic and costume design was by Anthony Ward, lighting by Mark Henderson, music and sound by Adam Cork, video and projection by Jon Driscoll and movement by Scott Ambler. Gregory Itzin
Gregory Itzin
Gregory Martin Itzin is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as disgraced U.S. President Charles Logan in the television series 24.-Early life:...
starred as Kenneth Lay
Kenneth Lay
Kenneth Lee "Ken" Lay was an American businessman, best known for his role in the widely reported corruption scandal that led to the downfall of Enron Corporation. Lay and Enron became synonymous with corporate abuse and accounting fraud when the scandal broke in 2001...
with Norbert Leo Butz
Norbert Leo Butz
Norbert Leo Butz is an American actor best known for his work in Broadway theatre.-Personal life:Butz was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Elaine and Norbert Butz...
as Jeffrey Skilling
Jeffrey Skilling
Jeffrey Keith "Jeff" Skilling is the former president of Enron Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas. In 2006 he was convicted of multiple federal felony charges relating to Enron's financial collapse, and is currently serving a 24-year, four-month prison sentence at the Federal...
, Marin Mazzie
Marin Mazzie
Marin Joy Mazzie is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for her role as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award...
as Claudia Roe, and Stephen Kunken
Stephen Kunken
Stephen Kunken is an American actor, best known for his work in theatre. His Broadway credits include Frost/Nixon, Rock 'n' Roll, and Enron, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Play.-Career:...
as Andrew Fastow
Andrew Fastow
Andrew Stuart Fastow was the chief financial officer of Enron Corporation that was based in Houston, Texas until the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission opened an investigation into his and the company's conduct in 2001...
. The Broadway production of ENRON closed on May 9, 2010; it lasted just over a month. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s critic Michael Billington
Michael Billington (critic)
Michael Keith Billington is a British author and arts critic. Drama critic of The Guardian since October 1971, he is "Britain's longest-serving theatre critic" and the author of biographical and critical studies relating to British theatre and the arts; most notably, he is the authorised...
speculated that it was The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
"hostile" review that contributed to its premature closer. He also stated its failure to earn nominations at the Tony Awards in major categories was its "kiss of death".
ENRON was premiered in Reykjavik City Theatre
Reykjavik City Theatre
Reykjavik City TheatreIn 1989, after 90 years of performing in a small wooden building in the city centre, the company inaugurated a new, modern theatre complex. The large new building , comparable to many of Europe's best theatres, has very modern facilities and four highly technical and...
in September 2010, in Dublin as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival
Dublin Theatre Festival
The Dublin Theatre Festival is Europe's oldest specialized theatre festival. It was founded by theatre impresario Brendan Smith in 1957 and has, with the exception of two years, produced a season of international and Irish theatre each autumn. It is one of a number of key post-World War II events...
in October 2010 and in Helsinki (Helsinki City Theatre) in November 2010.
Response
Tim Walker, the Sunday Telegraph critic, gave it five stars, drawing parallels with the plot to that of King Lear. "While it isn't done any more to say this in the financial pages, I say it here with conviction: Enron is a strong buy," he wrote.In The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
review of the Broadway production, Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
wrote, contrary to some other critics, "even with a well-drilled cast that includes bright Broadway headliners like Norbert Leo Butz and Marin Mazzie, the realization sets in early that this British-born exploration of smoke-and-mirror financial practices isn’t much more than smoke and mirrors itself. Enron is fast-paced, flamboyant and, despite the head-clogging intricacy of its business mathematics, lucid to the point of simple-mindedness. But as was true of the company of this play’s title, the energy generated here often feels factitious, all show (or show and tell) and little substance."
Michael Billington
Michael Billington (critic)
Michael Keith Billington is a British author and arts critic. Drama critic of The Guardian since October 1971, he is "Britain's longest-serving theatre critic" and the author of biographical and critical studies relating to British theatre and the arts; most notably, he is the authorised...
, critic for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, dubbed Brantley's comments an "obtuse and hostile review", stating that "ENRONs fate was sealed the moment Brantley's review appeared [...] As a fellow critic, I respect Brantley's right to his opinion, what is dismaying is his failure to see what Prebble and Goold were up to [...] But no serious play on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
can survive a withering attack from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, which carries the force of a papal indictment".
Premiere casts
| Character | London | New York |
|---|---|---|
| Claudia Roe | Amanda Drew Amanda Drew Amanda Drew is a British actress. Drew is best known for her role as the psychotic Dr. May Wright in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Biography:... |
Marin Mazzie Marin Mazzie Marin Joy Mazzie is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for her role as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award... |
| Kenneth Lay Kenneth Lay Kenneth Lee "Ken" Lay was an American businessman, best known for his role in the widely reported corruption scandal that led to the downfall of Enron Corporation. Lay and Enron became synonymous with corporate abuse and accounting fraud when the scandal broke in 2001... |
Tim Pigott-Smith Tim Pigott-Smith Tim Pigott-Smith is an English film and television actor.-Early life:Pigott-Smith was born in Rugby, Warwickshire, the son of Margaret Muriel and Harry Thomas Pigott-Smith, who was a journalist. He was educated at Wyggeston Boys' School, Leicester, King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-Avon, and... |
Gregory Itzin Gregory Itzin Gregory Martin Itzin is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as disgraced U.S. President Charles Logan in the television series 24.-Early life:... |
| Jeffrey Skilling Jeffrey Skilling Jeffrey Keith "Jeff" Skilling is the former president of Enron Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas. In 2006 he was convicted of multiple federal felony charges relating to Enron's financial collapse, and is currently serving a 24-year, four-month prison sentence at the Federal... |
Samuel West Samuel West Samuel Alexander Joseph West is an English actor and theatre director. He is perhaps best known for his role in Howards End and his work on stage. He also starred in the award-winning play ENRON... |
Norbert Leo Butz Norbert Leo Butz Norbert Leo Butz is an American actor best known for his work in Broadway theatre.-Personal life:Butz was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Elaine and Norbert Butz... |
| Andy Fastow | Tom Goodman-Hill Tom Goodman-Hill Tom Goodman-Hill is an English actor of radio, film, stage and television.Born as Tom Hill and raised near Newcastle upon Tyne, he qualified as a teacher before turning to acting. During his time in Newcastle, he regularly acted in amateur performances at the People's Theatre... |
Stephen Kunken Stephen Kunken Stephen Kunken is an American actor, best known for his work in theatre. His Broadway credits include Frost/Nixon, Rock 'n' Roll, and Enron, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor in a Play.-Career:... |
| Gayle Davenport | Gillian Budd | |
| Lehman Brothers Lehman Brothers Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was a global financial services firm. Before declaring bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth largest investment bank in the USA , doing business in investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (former NYSE ticker... |
Peter Caulfield / Tom Godwin |
|
| Security Officer | Howard Charles | |
| Irene Gant | Susannah Fellows | |
| Arthur Andersen Arthur Andersen Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms among PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG, providing auditing, tax, and consulting services to large corporations... |
Stephen Fewell Stephen Fewell Stephen Fewell is a British actor who portrays Jason Kane in the audio adventures of Bernice Summerfield. He has also appeared in classical theatre and as several roles in various Doctor Who audio productions... |
|
| Senator | Orion Lee | Tom Nelis |
| Elise Da Luca | Eleanor Matsuura Eleanor Matsuura - Biography :Eleanor Matsuura was born in the Japanese capital Tokyo, but raised in London. She is half English and half Japanese. In 2004, Eleanor Matsuura graduated at Central School of Speech and Drama. She worked on stage at Royal Court Theatre, Old Vic Theatre and several West End theatres... |
|
| Trader | Ashley Rolfe | |
| Lawyer | Trevor White |
Awards and nominations
ENRON won the 2009 Theatrical Management AssociationTheatrical Management Association
The Theatrical Management Association, founded in 1894, is the UK’s pre-eminent association for companies and organisations involved professionally in the production and presentation of the performing arts. The Theatrical Management Association has presented the TMA Awards annually since 1991....
award for Best New Play and was also nominated for Best Performance in a Play (Samuel West). In the 2009 Evening Standard Theatre Awards, it won Best Director and was nominated for Best Actor (for West) and Best Play (for Prebble). The work received a Tony award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination for "Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Tony Award for Best Original Score
The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics...
".
External links
- Internet Broadway Database listing
- "Enron's failure shows Broadway's flaws." The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Zinoman, Jason. "The Enron Bubble Bursts Again, This Time at the Tonys." Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
. May 4, 2010. - Zinoman, Jason. "Theater: Are We as Undiscerning as the English Think We Are?." Vanity FairVanity Fair (magazine)Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
. May 6, 2010