‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’: (left to right) Sharon D. Clarke, Wendell Pierce & André De Shields. Photo: Joan Marcus.

DEATH OF A SALESMAN
Written by Arthur Miller
Directed by Miranda Cromwell
Through January 15, 2023
Hudson Theatre
141 West 44th Street

(855-801-5876), www.SalesmanOnBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Death of a Salesman exists in two worlds, that of delusion (Willy Loman and his two sons, Biff and Happy) and denial (Linda Loman, his wife). Willy lives mostly in the faded past of imagined glory and his halcyon days as a salesman (real or imagined), but Linda is always grounded in the present and reality. Her denial is rooted in her deep love and devotion to Willy.

Set in 1949, Willy (Wendell Pierce) has returned home unexpectedly from a trip he was supposed to make to Boston and couldn’t make it past Yonkers. Willy has been working as a salesman for his company for 36 years. He is tired and spent. He now talks to himself a lot and lives with the ghosts of his past. He can’t seem to make those long hauls to New England to sell his wares; instead, he gets into accidents because of his wandering mind. His salary has been cut and he lives on commission. His friend and next-door neighbor, Charley (Delaney Williams), provides him with $50 a week to help pay off the mortgage on his home and the premium on his life insurance. Willy is a broken man and lives with his demons and fantasies of the American dream and success. Success comes to everyone around him but not to Willy or his family. Even his sons, both of whom were his prized treasures, have turned out to be wastrels and failures.

Linda (Sharon D. Clarke) is his long-suffering wife who has always stood by Willy and buoyed him to keep moving forward. She has never made him feel like a failure.

The boys: Biff, now 34 (Khris Davis), was a football star in high school and had a lot of hot air blown into him by his father, but has been a failure at everything since he was 17 and dropped out of school due to his father’s indiscretion on the road. Biff has just come back home from working in a farm in Nebraska. Happy, the younger son who worshiped Biff (McKinley Belcher III), has a lot of pipe dreams of his own and lies to and about himself.

This is a beautifully textured play that Arthur Miller wrote about the downfall of all the Willys/salesmen  who had dreams that didn’t come to fruition. It has at least 15 universal themes interwoven throughout. It has been 73 years since this play first opened and it is still as relevant today, if not more so than in 1949. Because the pressures of life have gotten harder, and we still live in life’s turmoils—ageism, losing jobs, paying bills, fear of failure, life’s disappointments and missed opportunities. The only way to do justice to this play is to cast it perfectly and direct it in a seamless manner, as Mike Nichols did in 2012 with Philip Seymour Hoffman; as Robert Falls did in 1999 with Brian Dennehy; and as George C. Scott did in 1975, directing himself. No extemporaneous business or gimmicks are needed. Just perform the play.

Starting with the good, God bless Sharon D. Clarke, because she is the only person that comes across the stage in blazing glory. She is grounded in reality and has the depth of Linda Loman’s duality. She knows Willy’s failures but would never betray him by admitting them to anyone. She loves her sons but will not stand for one bad remark made about Willy. She would rather throw them out from the house than to see Willy hurt. She is the heart and soul of the play. Wait until she recites “Attention must be paid to such a man…” It breaks your heart.

The problems that have risen in this production stem from directorial viewpoints and the choices made. Directors now are taking more risks and liberties to bring new but often misguided visions to established masterpieces. Just look at the abysmal choices Diane Paulus made with the current revival of 1776, and now Miranda Cromwell has inserted so many needless extras, that she dilutes the piece, and her direction, from Willy to the boys, is all over the place.

When Willy walks in, we know he is a tired salesman, and his prospects are dim. But as played by Mr. Pierce, we don’t see him so much as tired but of someone who is losing his mind and hallucinating. He is brash, bombastic and a blowhard. There is no descent to the man. He is a loser from the start. He is a man who lives on dreams and blows smoke into his sons and they in turn are failures like him. Mr. Pierce doesn’t imbue Willy with any shadings; he’s bombastic throughout the show and there is no progression or arc to his character.

Biff and Happy never talk to each other; they’re always either whining or screaming with each other about their differences, gripes, and about their father. This is where a strong director steps in to modulate performances for all three men and to give their characters dimension and let the audience ultimately figure out they are losers and not know this from the onset.

There is also Ben Loman (André De Shields), Willy’s much older brother. He left Willy when he was very young. Ben went into the jungle at 17 and came out a millionaire at 21. Mr. De Shields is a theatrical treasure. He is almost in the same costume and character as Hermes, messenger from the Gods, from Hadestown. Thankfully, he seems to be yet again the messenger from the Gods. But who cares? He can walk across the stage with his glitz and we are dazzled by him.

Ms. Cromwell is not helped at all by her set designer, Anna Fleischle. Last year she did a brilliant job with Martin MacDonagh’s Hangmen. Here the space compendium is nonexistent. In a crucial scene in Act I where Willy is having one of his breakdowns with Linda, young Biff, Happy, Willy’s mistress and others, scenes shift from the Loman’s backyard to Boston. The scene is so confusing from what is past and what is present and where are these scenes taking place. In another instance in Act II, when Biff calls his mother to tell her about dinner with dad, the phone rings, Linda picks up the phone in the living room, and a TV monitor at a bar turns on and, in squawky cartoon sounds, Biff is talking to Linda while she is instructing him to behave well with his dad. Someone has to explain how that absurd idea came to be.

Laughs are not a staple in Death of a Salesman. However, Ms. Cromwell felt that comic relief was needed in the form of Willy coming across as a blustering Ralph Kramden from “The Honeymooners” on a bad day.

Let’s just say thank you to Sharon D. Clarke and may she reign supreme on Broadway for years to come in better Broadway productions. The woman is the bravest Linda Loman I have ever seen on the stage.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 13, 2022
Reviewed at October 12, 2022 press performance.

‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’: Wendell Pierce & Sharon D. Clarke. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’: Blake De Long & Wendell Pierce. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’: McKinley Belcher III, Wendell Pierce & Khris Davis. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’: (left to right) Khris Davis, (top left) Wendell Pierce, Sharon D. Clarke & McKinley Belcher III. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’: (left to right) Sharon D. Clarke, Wendell Pierce & Khris Davis. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’: Wendell Pierce. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’: Sharon D. Clarke. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DEATH OF A SALESMAN’: André De Shields. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘ALL MY SONS’: Tracy Letts & Annette Bening. Photo: Joan Marcus

ALL MY SONS
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Jack O’Brien
Through June 23, 2019
American Airlines Theatre
227 W. 42nd Street
(212-719-1300), www.roundabouttheatre.org

By Scott Harrah

Arthur Miller’s All My Sons is not as renowned as some of his other plays, but it is indeed one of his greatest. The tragic epic, originally produced in 1947, right after World War II, has volumes to say about war and people who profit from it, making Sons rather timely as we now live in a world where dictators are on the rise and populism and political divisiveness threaten to tear apart the U.S. and Europe. All My Sons was last mounted on Broadway back in 2008 in a production that starred John Lithgow, Diane Wiest, Patrick Wilson and Katie Holmes. Eleven years ago, the show seemed dated and mostly a vehicle for the all-star cast, but the drama is much more relevant in 2019 in this age of political chaos and instability.

Arthur Miller’s moralistic saga focuses on the emotionally fragile family of Joe Keller (Tracy Letts), owner of a factory that made defective parts for warplanes and sold them to the U.S. Air Force, resulting in crashes and the deaths of 21 servicemen.  Joe’s wife, Kate (Annette Bening), is a woman in complete denial, convinced that her soldier son Larry, missing in action for over three years, is still alive.  Son Chris (Benjamin Walker) spends a good portion of the first act trying to convince his parents that marrying girlfriend Ann Deever (Francesca Carpanini) is the right thing to do, and things really unravel when she suddenly arrives in town after being in New York for several years.  The mother is completely against her son marrying Ann because she was Larry’s fiancé.  Ann is also the daughter of Joe’s business partner, a man serving time in prison allegedly for the crimes involved with the Keller’s business.

Tracy Letts and Benjamin Walker have superb onstage chemistry as father and son.  One of their last scenes—an argument that gets brutally physical—is especially effective and riveting. Mr. Letts is brilliant as the stubborn father, and Mr. Walker is marvelous as his aggressive, caustic son.  Annette Bening is first rate and really looks and sounds like the Midwestern mother she’s portraying—screaming, crying and emoting in all the right places, in an authentic Middle American twang. She definitely delivers as the high-strung mother who refuses to accept reality, despite the fact that her family is deeply wounded and has completely fallen apart. Ms. Bening is primarily known for her Hollywood films and was last seen on Broadway in Coastal Disturbances in 1987. She proves she is a great stage actress here, with an imposing command of the stage.

Francesca Carpanini is perfect and peerless as Ann. She gives a scorching portrayal of Ann as a shrewd, quick-witted woman who has endured years of suffering during and after the war.

Douglas W. Schmidt’s set, featuring an old house and its yard, anchors the story well and is a big improvement over the minimalistic set in the 2008 production. In that revival, there were too many projections and video montages. Director Joe O’Brien keeps things straightforward here, with a simple black and white video projection of war planes preceding the first act. Mr. O’Brien keeps the focus on the story. Although not all cast members are up to the par of the task at hand, Mr. O’Brien gets superlative performances from the actors playing the lead roles.

All My Sons, with its ongoing themes about greed and the ugliness of war, is still topical today. Its story about the ethics of selling faulty airplane equipment is especially germane in 2019, considering all the news about Boeing, defective 737 Max jets and crashes. After the final curtain falls, All My Sons gets audiences thinking about the long-term impact of war on families, making it an unforgettable, important evening of theater.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 25, 2019
Reviewed at April 24, 2019 press performance.

‘ALL MY SONS’: Tracy Letts & Benjamin Walker. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ALL MY SONS’: Tracy Letts, Benjamin Walker & Annette Bening. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ALL MY SONS’: (left to right) Benjamin Walker, Hampton Fluker, Francesca Carpanini & Chinasu Ogbaugu. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ALL MY SONS’: Hamilton Fluker, Benjamin Walker & Francesca Carpanini. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ALL MY SONS’: Annette Bening. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘ALL MY SONS’: Tracy Letts & Annette Bening. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘THE PRICE’: (left to right) Tony Shalhoub, Mark Ruffalo & Jessica Hecht. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE PRICE
Written by Arthur Miller
Directed by Terry Kinney
Through May 7, 2017
American Airlines Theatre
227 West 42nd Street
(212-719-1300), www.RoundaboutTheatre.org

By David NouNou

Death Of A Salesman, The Crucible and A View From the Bridge are Arthur Miller’s most enduring plays, and every few years, a director comes along and shines a new perspective on them; lately it’s been done by European directors that push the envelope to the point that they are hardly recognized as Miller plays. Thank goodness The Price is not one of them; it is so rarely done that when a good production is mounted, you welcome it with open arms. I was too young to appreciate the original 1968 version; the 2000 version was abysmal; and now finally a version has arrived at just the right time, with its values intact.

The Price centers around two brothers that have each taken a different path growing up. Victor Franz (Mark Ruffalo) stayed to take care of his bankrupt father after the death of his mother and gave up school and science to become a policeman. Walter Franz (Tony Shalhoub) decided to leave his father and pursue his schooling and became a very wealthy doctor. They have been estranged for 28 years without even a call. Now that their father is dead and the building they lived in is being demolished, all the furniture that was stored in the attic has to be sold, and the appraiser, Gregory Solomon (Danny DeVito), has come to buy it all. This brings us to the price for the furniture, the price that each brother has paid to be who they are, and the price Solomon has paid to live as long as he has. The fourth character is Esther Franz (Jessica Hecht), wife of Victor, who has always envied people with a better life than she’s had and after nearly 30 years of marriage, still wants a better life.

What makes The Price relevant today is that it’s a seesaw play, one’s allegiance shifts from brother to brother on a moment-to-moment basis. What two brothers haven’t shared in guilt and recrimination with moving on or staying behind? In 1968, in gentler times, the arguments were clearer cut. Today, with harsher and more cynical realities, the lines are blurred and each one presents his case but ultimately there are no winners, for what is done is done and you can’t change the past. Seen by this perspective, The Price is profoundly relevant today.

Like the best of wines, Tony Shalhoub just keeps getting better with age. He is a consummate actor with a command that rivets your whole attention to his performance. When he is onstage, the play is electric; but he doesn’t come on until the end of Act I. However, in Act I you have Danny DeVito; finally coming to Broadway in a role tailor made for him. Thank God for his arrival early on to lift the tedium that is known as the exposition or set up of the play. You can say he is the wise Jewish grandfather of his previous role of Louis De Palma from TV’s “Taxi.” What a joy to have him on stage supplying the lighter moments.

In the drab and thankless roles of Victor and Esther Franz, Mark Ruffalo and Jessica Hecht make a valiant attempt to bring life to their characters. Mr. Ruffalo was a last-minute replacement for John Turturro; his real shining moment is the confrontation scene with Mr. Shalhoub. In those tense moments, you can really feel the pent-up rage between these two brothers who can never reconcile with each other.

For theatergoers who enjoy depth and content in their shows, I suggest you rush to the American Airlines Theatre because this production is only around until May 7, 2017.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 22, 2017
Reviewed at press performance on March 21, 2017

‘THE PRICE’: Mark Ruffalo & Tony Shalhoub. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRICE’: Mark Ruffalo & Jessica Hecht. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE PRICE’: Mark Ruffalo & Danny DeVito. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘THE CRUCIBLE’: (Left to right) Ben Whishaw & Tavi Gavinson & cast. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

THE CRUCIBLE
Written by Arthur Miller
Directed by Ivo Van Hove
Through July 17, 2017
Walter Kerr Theatre
219 West 48th Street
(877-250-2929) www.TheCrucibleOnBroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

Whether one understands Belgian director Ivo van Hove’s modern spin on Arthur Miller’s 1953 masterpiece about the 1692 Salem witch trials, complete with a spooky, ambient score by Philip Glass, seems almost irrelevant. Why? The material is so brilliantly written, it literally leaves us spellbound. This is Mr. Miller’s most complex work, and Mr. van Hove overlooks (if not ignores) the allegorical subtext about the early 1950s McCarthy-era Communist “red scare” in America many believe the show parallels. Instead, the focus is on the paranormal and the creep factor, from eerie lighting to a levitating girl, ominous wind, flickering candles, a lone wolf/dog on stage, and scribbled messages on a classroom chalkboard. Granted, this interpretation is unorthodox and infused with the European sensibility Mr. van Hove used in last fall’s revival of another Arthur Miller classic, A View from the Bridge. Mr. van Hove’s touches may seem affected, but this remains a gripping, intense piece of theater, even at nearly three hours long.

In step with the current trend in retooling classics, the cast sports modern clothes, with the young girls dressed in parochial school uniforms, and cast members drinking coffee dispensed from a 21st century thermos. However, it’s easy to look beyond the surface here and instead focus on Mr. Miller’s tense narrative about real-life events in late-17-century Massachusetts, and how false accusations and government corruption, coupled with religious fanaticism, result in a horrifying outcome. Allegations of “witchcraft” in Salem certainly have similarities with the red-baiting of the 1950s, and perhaps with all the finger-pointing and scare tactics modern politicians use to persuade the masses on the campaign trail.

The accusations begin when a group of local girls allegedly frolicked in a nocturnal “Satanic” ritual in the woods with a Caribbean slave, Tituba (Jenny Jules). After being caught by Reverend Samuel Parris (Jason Butler Harner), his daughter Betty (Elizabeth Teeter) falls into what appears to be a coma-like trance.

The “mean girls” of Salem give some of the show’s best performances. Saoirse Ronan (fresh from her Oscar-nominated performance in Brooklyn) is first rate as Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris’s niece and the girls’ ringleader. With her manic mannerisms and ghoulish features, Ms. Ronan is the perfect demonic catalyst for the trumped-up charges. She is the devil incarnate indeed. Equally disturbing is Tavi Gevinson (This is Our Youth) as Mary Warren, the young house servant who eventually tries, unsuccessfully, to prove the girls are lying.

Ciarán Hinds is excellent as Deputy Governor Danforth, the sanctimonious judge who precipitates the ultimate fate of the accused. Fine portrayals are also given by Bill Camp as Reverend John Hale, and Broadway veteran Jim Norton as Giles Corey, husband of one of the accused.

However, there are inconsistencies in the casting of other roles. Ben Whishaw is often passionate as accused farmer John Proctor—a tough role indeed, played in the past by everyone from Daniel Day Lewis to Liam Neeson—but he has little chemistry with wife Elizabeth (played by Oscar nominee and Tony Award winner Sophie Okonedo). Ms. Okonedo, while a great actress, is miscast here.

This revival won’t please Arthur Miller purists. In fact, it might outrage some. Regardless, the most telling aspect of The Crucible is how much the message of what some see as “good” vs. “evil”—and the ways lives can be ruined with slander and lies—holds up today, even in a production as unconventional as this. Be prepared to be bewitched, bothered and (thanks to director Ivo van Hove) possibly bewildered by Arthur Miller’s haunting masterpiece.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 8, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on April 7, 2016

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: Elizabeth Teeter, Saoirse Ronan & Tavi Gavinson. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: (left to right) Elizabeth Teeter, Saoirse Ronan, Tavi Gevinson, Ashlei Sharp Chesnut & Erin Wilhelmi. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: Ben Whishaw & Tavi Gevinson. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: Ben Whishaw, Tavi Gevinson & cast. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: Sophie Okonedo & Ben Whishaw. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘THE CRUCIBLE’: Saoirse Ronan & Ben Whishaw. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

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‘A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE’: Russell Tovey & Mark Strong. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
By the Young Vic Production
Written by Arthur Miller
Directed by Ivo van Hove
Through February 21, 2016
Lyceum Theatre
149 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), http://www.aviewfromthebridgebroadway.com/

By David NouNou

Having just had an outstanding revival in 2010 starring Liev Schreiber, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Hecht and magnificently and authentically directed by Gregory Mosher, was it necessary to have this Arthur Miller classic revived again just five years later? It depends on one’s perspective. The 2010 production never went to London, and this version is a stripped-down British import of A View From The Bridge done by the Young Vic Production, directed by Belgian Ivo van Hove.

Ivo van Hove is having a theatrical moment right now. He certainly has stripped the play down to its basic characters and no sets. However, he has added so much more. Depending on one’s tastes, one could view this as either good or bad. It has European sensibilities and none of the American aesthetics, and this play is as American as you can get. It’s about Brooklyn longshoremen in the 1950s. What we have now as we walk into the theatre is an ominous black square cube that overtakes the height of the stage and on either side are rows of seats, giving the effect that the performance takes place in a Plexiglas arena. Lights dim, cue  operatic music, the cube rises, the stage is engulfed in smoke, revealing two semi-naked, buff men in what seems to be a steam room, rinsing themselves off. Is it titillating? Indeed, but what this has to do with longshoreman or starting the play (unless Mr. van Hove knows something about Eddie that we did not before) is anyone’s guess. The entire performance is done barefoot. Lots of sound effects, different types of ominous music, tribal drums symbolizing murmuring heart beats, blood pouring on the stage. Too many directorial choices; hence the European perception performed in the very raw present.

The original production was mounted in 1955. Longshoreman Eddie Carbone (Mark Strong) lives in a blue-collar environment in a working-class apartment with his long-suffering wife Beatrice (Nicola Walker) and her niece, Catherine (Phoebe Fox). Catherine was left in their care since she was 12 when her mother died. Catherine is now almost 18 and blossoming into a woman. Eddie’s love for Catherine has also developed to more than that of an uncle. This love has taken over Eddie to the point of an uncontrollable obsession. Matters are further complicated when the Carbones take in two illegal Italian immigrants, Marco (Michael Zegan) and his younger brother Rodolpho (Russell Tovey), both of whom are Beatrice’s relatives. Marco has left Sicily, his wife and three children to make a living so he can send money to support his family. Rodolpho is a happy-go-lucky person who came over to enjoy what America has to offer. Marco is diligent and hardworking. Rodolpho is a free spirit, who sings, has a sense of humor, can make dresses and also cooks. (Now he’s a real catch.) He also has genuine feelings for Catherine. However, all this does not sit well with Eddie. He has long sacrificed for and protected Catherine to the point of unnaturalness and is not about to give up Catherine to what he calls a “Paper Doll,” a disparaging comment as to how he perceives Rodolpho. That’s also the name of an American song that Rodolpho sings upon first meeting the Carbones.

Like any Greek tragedy, Eddie’s world will come crashing down on him, knowing full well that, through his actions, the consequences will be irreversible, but they are beyond his emotional control. Throughout it all is his fierce determination that never lets him give up what he rightfully believes and feels is his: His respect. When he demands “respect,” not only in words but also with the fury in his eyes, not even Alfieri, his counselor at law (Michael Gould, the Greek Chorus in this case), can rescue him with any advice.

I would not suggest sitting on the side stage sections because the performances are incredibly intense and you don’t want to miss a single facial tic or expression. As an example, when Eddie comes to Alfieri to ask for advice and Alfieri remarks “his eyes were like tunnels, my first thought was that he had committed a crime,” it is frustrating when you can’t see the eyes or the tunnels. Instead, you see the back of the actor’s head. I did say the effect is you are in an arena so you don’t want to miss a single nuance. You don’t want to see direction; you want to see the performance.

And what amazing performances indeed. Mark Strong, as Eddie Carbone, gives an indelible performance, I wish I could have seen all of it, his intensity is mesmerizing. Equally brilliant is Nicola Walker as Beatrice, Eddie’s long-suffering wife. I have seen four other excellent actresses play this part but none better than Ms. Walker. Phoebe Fox as Catherine was too childlike and not enough of a desirable woman; one wonders why Eddie is so obsessed with her when he has such a great-looking wife. Every time she throws herself at Eddie and wraps her legs around him and he squeezes her tightly, in front of Beatrice, it becomes creepier than a loving hug. Michael Zegan (as Marco) and Russell Tovey (as Rodolpho), also give memorable performances.

Despite directorial overindulgences, Mark Strong and Nicola Walker certainly make A View From The Bridge a must-see, raw and different interpretation of an American classic.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 6, 2015
Reviewed at performance on December 4, 2015

‘A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE’: Mark Strong & cast . Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE’: Phoebe Fox & Nicola Walker. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

‘A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE’: (left to right) Phoebe Fox, Mark Strong & Nicola Walker. Photo: Jan Versweyvel

‘A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE’: Mark Strong. Photo: Jan Versweyveld

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PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN: As Willy Loman. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

DEATH OF A SALESMAN
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Mike Nichols
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.DeathOfASalesmanBroadway.com

By David Nounou

Attention must be paid to every detail when staging a masterpiece such as the likes of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. This is truly one of the five best American plays written in the 20th century, and to mount a revival of this drama, casting is of the utmost importance. Yes, it is wonderful to see stars attached to such a venture, because it has been proven that big names are a necessity for the success of a revival, but just adding big names for names’ sake to attract a wider audience is not enough. The insight of one of America’s most brilliant directors, Mike Nichols, should have had the keen eye to see this.

Set in the late 1940s, mostly at the Loman home where Willy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Linda (Linda Emond) live, and where now their two sons Biff (Andrew Garfield) and Happy (Finn Wittrock) have come for a visit. Willy has been working as a salesman for his company for 36 years, and he is tired and spent. He now talks to himself a lot and lives with the ghosts of his past. He cannot seem to make those long hauls to New England to sell his wares; instead, he gets into accidents because of his wandering mind. His salary has been cut and he lives on commission. His friend and next-door neighbor Charley (Bill Camp) provides him with $50 a week to pay off the mortgage on his home and the premium on his life insurance. Willy is a broken man and lives with his demons and fantasies of the American dream and success. Success comes to everyone around him, but not to Willy or his family. Even his sons, both of whom were his prized treasures, have turned out to be wastrels and failures.

This is such a beautifully textured play that has at least 20 universal themes interwoven throughout. It has been 63 years since this play opened, and it is still as relevant today, if not more so than in 1949. Because we still live in life’s turmoils, losing jobs, paying bills, fear of failure, and life’s disappointments and missed opportunities. And the only way to do this play justice is to cast it with perfection and direct it in a seamless manner.

Individually, the performances are good, but as a whole they do not mesh properly. Their styles are so varied and nothing was done to rein them in as a unit. This play needs a succinct “on the same page” style of acting. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Willy is stylized, mannered, and relies heavily on the method. Ms. Emond’s Linda is good indeed, but she is saccharinely sweet and needed a little more hardness to her performance. Next, there are the two sons/brothers. Not for one second can one believe these two can ever be brothers in real life, or worse yet, on the stage. The casting was totally off here. Andrew Garfield, as the older brother Biff, is acceptable and imbues his character with earnestness. For the life of me, I have no idea what Finn Wittrock, as Happy, the younger brother, was doing on that stage. I will just chalk it up to a bad night, giving a lackluster performance. Where was Mike Nichols when he was needed to oversee this?

In actuality, the supporting cast was more cohesive than the four leads. The standouts here are Bill Camp as Charley; Fran Kranz as Bernard his son and Biff’s loyal friend; Remy Auberjonois as Howard, Willy’s boss; and Glenn Fleshler as Stanley the waiter. They were exceptionally true to the style of the piece. Is this a great revival? No. Is it worth seeing? Yes, because attention must be paid to such brilliant pieces of theater since they come around so infrequently.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 15, 2012

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