Not one for choosing an easy subject matter, Lucy Prebble’s play Enron, based on the story of the company of the same name, deals with tough relations in the corporate world, Fraud, and Wall Street Crashes.
The play was very successful on the West-End (having a healthy run at the Noel Coward Theatre), but a modest failure on Broadway. Now, the play reaches the end of its current incarnation as the UK tour of the West-End production draws to a close in Bath.
The Theatre Royal in Bath was a perfect venue for this play – the play itself is not exactly intimate, but the intricacies of its staging and action can be best observed in a smaller, more intimate playhouse.
As mentioned before, Enron deals with the history of the energy company of the same name; from the company’s position in the 1990’s as just another Texan oil and gas dealer to having one of the largest interest in stocks and shares in history. We follow four lead characters: Claudia Rowe, who is a lifelong devotee and employee of Enron and who wants to succeed Kenneth Lay as chairman/CEO of the company, Jeffrey Skilling who ultimately wins the post and Andy Fastow who becomes CFO of the company. And we follow the way they work together as they transform Enron into one of the most successful companies of the late 1990’s (albeit through the illegal methods masterminded by Fastow).
The performances were masterful, and we saw each actor create a very honest representation of their characters. Portraying a factual person is always a hard job for an actor, but this is made even harder when that person is still alive. Yet, each of the four leads had a very real grasp of their characters and had clearly explored the incident, and particularly how this affected their characters.
However, for me, there were two standout performances. These were Sara Stewart as Claudia, who created a well-rounded character who starts off as the corporate bitch, and then faces leaving the company, but then realises that she left before the company meltdown. Corey Johnson executed Skilling brilliantly. He didn’t just play the role, he really was the man. He had clearly explored whether he thought his character was innocent or guilty, and although his character’s actions lead us to believe he’s guilty, the amazing final monologue shows another side to the character, and Johnson did this with great conviction. Suddenly the audience didn’t know what to think, and we were left to draw out own conclusion about Skilling.
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| The Company of Enron |
The ensemble was made up of many talented actors, all playing multiple roles, and all bursting with energy, commitment, and a clear understanding of the context of the play. This isn’t an easy play to perform as any member of the cast either, because, while it is classed as a play, it has several pieces of music sung by the cast, in a musical-like fashion.
Enron has one of the best scores I’ve heard in modern theatre. Adam Cork’s score is not a conventional theatre score – it is perfection. It suits the mood of the scenes it supports and captures the essence of the play. Anthony Ward has also designed one of the most effective sets seen in a play in recent years – every single piece useful, and every single area of the stage used perfectly. He strikes the right balance between the uncomfortable enclosed feeling of the business world and the exciting enclosed feeling of Wall Street. The set involves the audience – we felt on edge when the characters did, and we also felt slightly claustrophobic.
Rupert Goold looked over no details in his brilliant production – everything about this show is slick, efortless and is simply…perfect.
Ok, so from the point of view of an average audience member, sometimes we get confused between the reality of the narrative and the abstract representational side of the piece. However, that is simply Prebble’s style, and in some ways and in the view of some people, it is just perfect.
But one thing cannot be doubted: As a production, Enron is the most innovative and electrifying West-End play of the last ten years.
4*
4*
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