Lucy Prebble continues to cement her status as an up and coming playwright to keep an eye on with “Enron”, a play that already achieved monumental success at the Chichester Festival Theatre earlier in the year, whilst its run at the Royal Court Theatre managed to sell out well in advance of its start date.
It is her follow up to her 2003 hit “The Sugar Syndrome”, which appeared at the Royal Court Theatre to critical praise, winning her the Critics’ Circle Award for the Most Promising Playwright of the time. However, she was no stranger to such praise, after her short play “Liquid” landed her a PMA Award for Most Promising Playwright whilst still a student at the University of Sheffield.
“Enron” is a play that could not have come at a better time, focusing on the infamous company embroiled in a scandal in 2001 that brought it to its knees. At a time when the banks are still struggling, unemployment continues to rise and public confidence in the economy is at an all time low, we can look on events in the past with a new light. In particular the play looks at Enron the 1990s, before the collapse of the company created worldwide scrutiny on the Bush Administration. However, the seeds for Enron’s demise were already starting to fall well into place.
But the show will not rely on simply story-telling, instead employing a range of techniques to bring the capitalist system of the 1990s to life, with music, dance and video working together to create a unique experience.
Starring in the production is a cast that includes Amanda Drew in the role of Claudia Roe, as well as Tom Goodman-Hill as Andrew Fastow, Tim Pigott-Smith as Ken Lay and Samuel West as Jeffrey Skilling.
West is a renowned actor who has had a long career on the UK stage, whilst also finding time to star in movies and try his hand at directing. His stage credits include “The Family Reunion” at the Donmar Warehouse, “Hamlet” for the Royal Shakespeare Company, “Betrayal” at the Donmar Warehouse and “Antony & Cleopatra” at the National Theatre. However, he has also appeared previously on the stage of the Chichester Festival Theatre, in the likes of “Doctor Faustus” and “Cain” amongst others, whilst his film roles include “Iris”, “Van Helsing” and “Notting Hill”.
“Enron” makes its appearance at the Noel Coward Theatre from Tuesday 26th January 2010 (previews from Saturday 16th January 2010) until Saturday 8th May 2010.