Enron

by Lucy Prebble

Overview

One of the most infamous scandals in financial history becomes a theatrical epic. At once a case study and an allegory, the play charts the notorious rise and fall of Enron and its founding partners Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, who became reviled figures from the financial scandal of the century, with quotes like, "The only difference between me and the people judging me is they weren't smart enough to do what we did."
Mixing classical tragedy with savage comedy, Enron follows a group of flawed men and women in a narrative of greed and loss which reviews the tumultuous 1990s and casts a new light on the financial turmoil in which the world finds itself in today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781408124673
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/27/2009
Series:	Modern Plays
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Lucy Prebble lives in London. Her smash-hit play, Enron, transferred to the West End and Broadway in 2010 after sell out runs at both the Royal Court and Chichester Festival Theatre. In addition to the huge critical acclaim it has received, Enron also won the award for best New Play at the prestigious TMA Theatre Awards, and was shortlisted for the Evening Standard Award 2009. Lucy created the TV series Secret Diary of a Call Girl, starring Billie Piper, which enjoyed three series and was sold to Showtime, the major US channel famed for its daring dramas. Lucy won the prestigious George Devine Award 2004 for her outstanding debut play The Sugar Syndrome in May 2004, followed by the TMA Award for Best New Play in October 2004. She also won the 2004 Critics' Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright. Lucy was also nominated for the Most Promising Newcomer Award at the Olivier Awards 2004, shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburban Award 2003 and nominated for the prestigious Evening Standard Charles Wintour Most Promising Playwright Award 2003.

Editorial Reviews

Both a dazzling piece of entertainment and a gripping cautionary tale…What's clear is that the sensational stage effects deliver the same blood-pumping thrills of a musical, wrapped around a play, by Lucy Prebble, with more brains in its head than any tuner since Assassins.” —Variety

“Enron is a whip-smart, edge-of-your-seat ride that'd rival anything at Six Flags — there are even raptor-headed businessmen prancing around.” —New York Post

“A surprising and remarkable creation: It's a two-and-a-half-hour lecture on business history, and it's utterly thrilling.” —New York Observer

“Enron is at once an astonishing thrill ride through the high-flying '90s and a chilling precursor to everything that would follow.” —Bloomberg News

“An exhilarating mix of political satire, modern morality and multimedia spectacle.” —The Guardian

“Not to be missed. The political theatre of the 21st century has arrived, in some style.” —The Times of London

“One of those rare works that crystallizes the mood of its age.” —Daily Telegraph

“One of the most incisive, most grown-up political dramas of the past 10 years.” —Observer

“Caryl Churchill's Serious Money skewered the 1980s; Prebble's Enron knifes the Noughties.” —Sunday Times of London

“The collapse of US energy giant Enron brilliantly reconfigured by Lucy Prebble...(her) great skill lies in her ability to take us through complex concepts with ease, without bemusing or, worse, patronizing us.” —Evening Standard

“A darkly exhilarating portrait of hypertrophied capitalism and a society that allows faith-based fiscal systems to ravage the body economic...A sharp-witted and rollicking business thriller...Prebble's characters are deliciously vital and self-aware.” —Time Out

From the Publisher

A darkly exhilarating portrait of hypertrophied capitalism and a society that allows faith-based fiscal systems to ravage the body economic...A sharp-witted and rollicking business thriller...Prebble's characters are deliciously vital and self-aware.

Time Out

The collapse of US energy giant Enron brilliantly reconfigured by Lucy Prebble...(her) great skill lies in her ability to take us through complex concepts with ease, without bemusing or, worse, patronizing us.

Evening Standard

Caryl Churchill's Serious Money skewered the 1980s; Prebble's Enron knifes the Noughties.

Sunday Times of London

One of the most incisive, most grown-up political dramas of the past 10 years.

Observer

One of those rare works that crystallizes the mood of its age.

Daily Telegraph

Not to be missed. The political theatre of the 21st century has arrived, in some style.

The Times of London

An exhilarating mix of political satire, modern morality and multimedia spectacle.

The Guardian

Enron is at once an astonishing thrill ride through the high-flying '90s and a chilling precursor to everything that would follow.

Bloomberg News

A surprising and remarkable creation: It's a two-and-a-half-hour lecture on business history, and it's utterly thrilling.

New York Observer

Enron is a whip-smart, edge-of-your-seat ride that'd rival anything at Six Flags -- there are even raptor-headed businessmen prancing around.

New York Post

Both a dazzling piece of entertainment and a gripping cautionary tale…What's clear is that the sensational stage effects deliver the same blood-pumping thrills of a musical, wrapped around a play, by Lucy Prebble, with more brains in its head than any tuner since Assassins.

Variety

Caryl Churchill's Serious Money skewered the 1980s; Prebble's Enron knifes the Noughties.

Sunday Times

Prebble’s play recounts the rise and fall of the nation’s energy giant, communications conglomerate, and pulp and paper company. A full-cast performance is punctuated by sound effects, music, and live audience response. Enron grows during the go-go '90s into a gigantic corporation, boot-strapping itself forward through the creative financing of Andrew Fastow. Actors Gregory Itzin as Kenneth Lay and Steven Weber as Jeffrey Skilling steer the Houston-based energy giant to the heights of success as they convince banks, investors, and employees to sink their funds into the company—which comes crashing down in December 2001. The story is punctuated by political jabs and tongue-in-cheek economic comments. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2012 - AudioFile