At first glance, the topic of Enron is hardly ripe for dramatization. Not only does in it deal in the tricky, confusing world of finance, it also concerns one of the largest and most devastating business scandals in history - one that remains a sore subject among a not insubstantial number of people. Yet, "Enron," written by Lucy Prebble avoids either glorifying or condemning the actions of the company, instead presenting Enron's downfall as a hubris-induced tragedy on the level of Shakespeare.
The play begins when Jeffrey Skillet (Samuel West) is appointed president of Enron by its CEO, Ken Lay (Tim Piggot-Smith). Skillet has big ideas: he has recently designed a plan that will allow the company to declare profit before ever receiving a cent. The plan works fine and Enron's stocks soar, but the company is secretly spiraling into debt. Desperate, Skillet turns to his CFO, Andy Fastow (Tom Goodman-Hill), who devises a scheme that allows Enron to create a shadow company to buy up its debt - and the rest, as they say, is history.
What is perhaps most surprising is how well the story is suited for a narrative. Not only does it follow a traditional rise-and-fall structure, but it also contains elements which seem too good to be true - in one instance, Fastow names his debt-eating creations as raptors after watching Jurassic Park. Its characters, too, seem incredibly real: flawed but confident in their own intelligence. Prebble's script is wry and highly intelligent, taking time to break down the higher mathematics and workings of the business world, yet never pandering or breaking pace. But the best thing about the show is undoubtedly its staging, which, though unsubtle, translates the recklessness of the company and its members into a quite literal sense. Actual news clips and commercials flare on a giant screen behind the actors; a woman leaps onto a desk and waves an American flag through the air while "Welcome To The Jungle" blares from the speakers; stock brokers trade, yell, and fight while drenched in a blanket of light from the stock exchange; and, most effectively, a combination of falling paper and the image of an explosion create a highly realistic portrayal of exploding glass. A wholly original and successful vision.
Enron score: 85
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