There is nothing like it on Broadway! The revival of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” playing at the Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway), is one of the most stunning pieces of theater you will experience this season. Although written in 1949, it is just as relevant today. From the opening scene, you can feel the desperation, the sadness, the hopelessness that the main character — salesman Willy Loman — feels as he comes home early from another unsuccessful sales trip. In fact, he could not even make it to his destination.
Willy has worked for the same company for decades as a salesman, and while he used to be popular and made good money, now many of the people he sold merchandise to are dead, and the new generation of buyers does not know or respect him. Imagine being a salesperson and people not taking you seriously. How can you sell a product when you can’t sell yourself? With Willy’s bills backed up — his is the only income for himself and his wife Linda — plus his two grown sons, Biff and Happy, not having truly found their way in life, you find yourself in a very complex story of how people’s lives can overwhelm them. You find the story of a father and his sons who have not looked at life from a realistic, mature point of view and years later are paying the price for it. What’s the importance of how we achieve the American Dream? What’s the importance of truth in our lives? If things don’t go as planned, what’s the way out?
If you have never seen “Death of a Salesman” or even if you are deeply familiar with it, you will be moved by the human tragedy before your eyes. It is heartbreaking to watch the mental instability of Willy Loman. It is sad to realize that all the moments of his life he reflects on with joy are merely memories of close relationships with his two boys, especially with his oldest son Biff, that do not exist anymore.
His wife Linda is his constant support, and his advocate for better treatment from his boss at work and for more respect from his sons at home. She is quick to call them out about mistreating him.
This play will have you captivated as you watch the tragedies that befall this family. It is a play that will have you reflecting about the choices we all make in life.
From the time that Nathan Lane is seen on the stage pulling up and parking his car as Willy Loman, he truly embodies the character. He exudes a sense of desperation, slow-building sadness, and a feeling of hopelessness and exhaustion — exhaustion due to the consequences of the choices he has made in life. He is exhausted and frustrated by the lack of choices his grown sons have made in life. He is exhausted by the world around him changing and not being able to feel liked, respected, and successful. Lane demonstrates every level of this character’s mental demise, which makes your heart go out to him. Lane’s flawless performance seems to proclaim “class is in session” as he delivers a master class in acting, movingly portraying this elderly salesman.
Laurie Metcalf is incredibly moving as Linda. She sees what is good and caring about Willy. She sees his worth and tries to boost him up however she can. She also realizes how he is deteriorating mentally and she is relentless in her defense of who and what he is — a dreamer and a good man.
Christopher Abbott as Biff is poignant, empathetic, and devastatingly touching. Abbott shares this character’s pain with such a depth of emotion and feeling, you have to acknowledge and appreciate it. Ben Ahlers as Happy delivers an engaging performance. His character seems shallow, but has layers to him as well.
Willy’s best friend and neighbor, Charley, is marvelously portrayed by K. Todd Freeman. He performs this role with understanding and empathy as he witnesses Willy’s desperation. Bernard, Biff’s friend from growing up, is stunningly played by Michael Benjamin Washington.
Everyone on the stage brings their A game to this production. Other cast members include Joaquin Consuelos as Young Biff; Jake Termine as Young Happy; Karl Green as Young Bernard; Jonathan Cake as Willy’s older brother, Uncle Ben; John Drea as Howard Wagner, Willy’s boss; and Katherine Romans as Miss Forsythe, Willy’s love interest.
The direction by Joe Mantello is nothing less than perfect. Every moment in the theater is gripping. Every facet of this work screams Broadway gold, from the performance to the technical aspects, including set design by Chloe Lamford, costume design by Rudy Mance, lighting design by Jack Knowles, sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman, and hair & wig design by Robert Pickens.
Make it your business to see “Death of a Salesman.” For three hours, you will be enthralled and moved by this play. You will realize that you’ve been given a theatrical gift to be cherished.
For tickets, visit salesmanbroadway.com.