Enron: The Play

Enron Theatre

I was originally expected a musical. The play had been promoted as a musical, yet there were only a couple songs. The actors did not burst into song at random intervals as you would expect. The play was went to had been organized by NYU, and the actual performance was on 12 March, even though I haven't posted it until now. I thought it would be prudent to talk about this, because I thought it was a great show.

However, the aspect of the play I want to point out the most is the intensity of the whole scandal. For those of you who don't know, the Enron scandal was caused because Enron, despite it having no profits allowed its debt to be placed into a separate company technically owned by Enron. With the financial crash that happened after 9/11, Enron officially became bankrupt.


Enron Stage

In any case, the sense that the people who ran Enron were geniuses who let their convictions of "social Darwinism" let them think survival of the fittest and get too greedy with themselves was well portrayed. Philosophical arguments such as these which were littered throughout the play were insightful and made you think. For example:

“You ask me how can you take advantage of that? That’s what businesses do! Asking me that question is like asking me... how do I make a living?” (referring to deregulation in California energy markets)

On the whole, I felt the play did a good job in explaining how the Enron collapse had actually happened so that even non finance/econ/business majors could understand it. Also, interesting note: although it seems the British really like the play as well, they do not give standing ovations. I guess they are too dignified to do anything like such. Overall, it is a powerful, timely and thought-provoking piece of theatre. I would like to leave you with a quote from the play itself, so that you can think of its own merits:

[At the final monologue,] pointing at the peaks and troughs on a large historical chart of the US stock market, [Jeff] Skilling, [CEO of Enron convicted of fraud] turns to the audience and says: “That’s our mirror. Every dip, every crash, every bubble that’s burst, a testament to our brilliant stupidity. This one gave us the railroads. This one the internet. This one the slave trade. And if we hope to do anything about saving the environment or getting to other worlds, we’ll need a bubble for that too. Everything I’ve ever done in my life worth anything has been done in a bubble; in a state of extreme hope and trust and stupidity.”

Production opens on Broadway in April; I highly recommend this play. If I could watch it again, I would.

-Emoinacloset