Published 28 January 2010
by TOM FOOT

THE snappers had a field day at this ritzy red carpet opening night.
BBC political analyst Andrew Marr, comedian Frank Skinner and the disgraced Tory politician Jonathan Aitken were sitting in my row alone.
Fitting spectators, some might say, for a cautionary tale requiring scrutiny, scorn and starring a notorious liar.
Enron is the story of the US energy company, the King Kong of the stock market in the 1990s, that imploded so spectacularly after some ill-advised boardroom wizardry.
Pitched as a prequel to the 2008 financial crash, it is undoubtedly a fascinating probe into the minds of these maniac market men.
But does it make good theatre?
Playwright Lucy Prebble’s main problem is unravelling the very complex plot.
While most people have seen a trading floor or know what it is to “hedge”, the heavy financial jargon still requires some clunking explanatory dialogue.
To lighten this, director Rupert Gould has punctuated each scene with musical-style songs, flashing lights or wild dance routines. 
It was a bit like having cheerleaders at a chess match. That said, there are some intriguing performances, in particular from Sam West as Enron President Jeffrey Skilling and Amanda Roe as Claudia Roe, his “I told you so” colleague. 
It is no accident to find a female as the voice of reason in this testosterone-fuelled world of finance, hard-nosed business-type that she was.
You would expect any reckless market fable to find characters whose tragic flaw is greed, but Prebble’s interpretation of Skilling is far more subtle than that. 
His character is driven by his own belief in his unparalleled intellect and insight, rather than any crude pursuit of power or wealth. 
Watching him unravel, as his cock-up turns to conspiracy, was something to behold.
It is worth noting that Prebble makes reference to Schilling’s time at McKinsey & Co, the US-based consultancy firm known for attracting the world’s smartest business graduates. A report from the same set of brain-boxes has recently advised the Government to downgrade hundreds of hospitals and throw open the doors of the NHS to profit-making companies. I think Shakespeare had it when he wrote, “and all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death”.
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