Above, from left: Biff (Michael Navarra), Willy (Corey Fischer), Linda (Jeri Lynn Cohen) andHappy (John Sousa)
Ben (Julian Lopez-Morillas), Biff, Happy, Willy, Linda
Linda
Biff, Linda, Willy and Happy
Willy and Charley (Louis Parnell)
Biff, Happy, Willy
Letta (Meghan Doyle), Happy and Miss Forsythe (Juliet Strong)
Willy and Jenny (Juliet Strong)Here’s the latest sampling of reviews and responses that continue to appear. Remember, only ten more performances. Go to www.atjt.com for tickets and schedule.
At the end of the year wrap-up class for our theater going class, [Stephanie teaches at Sonoma State] we ask the students what stayed with them – what images, productions, performances stayed with them. Many students chose Death of a Salesman.
Below is Maria's [Maria Magdalena Giordano, a student] impassioned letter for me to pass on (not her formal paper for class).
“I have never seen a Linda Loman like that before. She was a powerhouse, so real, and deeply moving. Everyone did a truly amazing job. Biff was heartbreaking and perfect, really captured the ruined glory of the American Boy. Happy, a role that can frequently fade into the background of the play, stood out as a truly sleazy character, who was always the second favorite son, and who turned to vengeful immorality to get his own back. I never realized what a "bum" Happy really is, until I saw this production. It's always a greater challenge to play a character that is irredeemable, but this actor excelled at it. Kudos. Every member of the cast was excellent. And Willie was brilliant. His fate, his hope, his disappointments, I was hanging on every word, totally connected to his psyche. I started to cry even before the culminating moment. The tragedy was like an inescapable hell hound, that would not let me go. The moment of Willy's death, when Linda screamed, it was like I was finally grabbed by the neck and shaken by the dog. I began to weep, sob, and I kept crying uncontrollably for the rest of the play, through the curtain call and half of the drive home. I have never been so moved in a theater, in my life. I may cry, I am a sympathetic/empathetic person, far from made of stone, but this was an experience I have never had before. Just thinking about it again, I have water all over my face. I am supremely grateful to these performers. It is an excellent play, but they brought it to life in a way I would never have imagined possible. I will never forget this show. I've been marked on my soul. Bravo & Brava. I'm an actor myself and this production only confirms why theatre is my religion. Catharsis doesn't even begin to cover it.”
Article Launched: 05/22/2007 03:03:52 AM PDT
The first time I saw Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," 40-some years ago, I was a son in my mid-teens.
When I saw it a few weeks ago, at A Traveling Jewish Theatre's stunning revival, my eyes were those of the father of a grown son.
A lot of water had churned beneath the bridge during those four decades, bringing new perspective and considerably more appreciation of Willy Loman's futile battle against the invincible foes, time and change.
That sort of personal perspective on Miller's 1949 classic is probably nothing unique. The play has wisdom and poignancy by the case-full. But you tend to forget that.
That is one of a number of things making A Traveling Jewish Theatre's revival such a treat. There simply hasn't been a first-rate new production of the play in some time, which leaves it recalled in only the most vague terms.
But, to steal a line from Willy, attention must be paid -- the work is far too important, far too well-written and far too meaningful to be slipped into the deep pocket where old plays are hidden.
Enriching the TJT production, too, is the exploring of the play's "Jewishness," something that is certainly there, if you look for it. And in this production there are dozens of tiny details that make the Jewish side of the play quite evident and visible.
Yet it remains a universal story about the son of immigrants, Willy (in a stunning, tenderly nuanced performance by Corey Fischer) assimilating into America and the American way. He is a salesman, after all, and there's nothing more American than a drummer out on the territory looking for business.
But the orders haven't been coming for Willy for some time now. He's even been borrowing money to get by until the dry spell blows over. He hasn't told his wife, Linda (Jeri Lynn Cohen, breathing intensity into a memorable character), just like he hasn't told her about, you know, the other gal (Meghan Doyle) on the road whom he's been seeing for a while now.
And the boys, Happy (John Sousa) and Biff (Michael Navarra) -- they haven't worked out the way Willy dreamed they would. Of course, the old man has disappointed them about as much as they've disappointed him.
In fact, the air is thick with disappointment and shattered dreams, including the American Dream, which has somehow eluded the entire Loman family.
The story and the acting, and Aaron Davidman's direction, however, are golden, filled with beautiful flourishes and details that make the play breathlessly alive and remarkably meaningful for anyone who has been bruised or disillusioned, even ever so slightly, by life.
What makes the production even more impressive is a tone that flits between dark and light, holding out hope, then snatching it away in the most brutal way. This story of Willy Loman is not a pretty thing, but it is impossible to believe there are not countless Willys out there, silently waiting to die, yet dreaming of somehow pulling off a big finish.
…King Lear made me feel that he is still a child and Willy made me feel the same. The woman who played Linda was great because she made me feel the hardships of being a mother.
I agree that the theme is universal because any family can relate to the play… It seemed like the family as a whole were all at fault. Willy for having too much hubris, Linda for being too lenient, and the two sons for being selfish. The sons really reminded me of my Dad’s side of the family, blaming everything on living in Vietnam and not even trying to make a living….
From author William Poy Lee
Interesting, that my father who wanted so badly to assimilate completely and be successful in the way that Willy hungered for also wanted to plant vegetables after his major heart attack. He was able to do so in my back yard while recuperating here. And every day, he went out and watered the plants and veggies and my lawn until he was well enough to return to Chinatown. Unlike my mother, my father had turned his back on our old ways -- and here he was, reaching out to soil and its cycles of flowering when death came visiting.
With deep gratitude, William Poy Lee
For information on William's new book about gtrowing about Chinese-American in San Francisco, visit www.theeighthpromise.com
From friend and fan, Elaine Starkman (a writer and editor)
What an absolutely stunning play and stunning performance. You must be utterly
exhausted when you finish & twice in one day? Wow! was reminded of my beloved father, but he was less ambitious for his two daughters and by the time he hit 60, he learned to relax, a kindly soul.
By Richard Connema on the Talkin’ Broadway website
I have seen many actors play Willy Loman, including Lee J. Cobb who originated the wonderful character. Since then I have seen George C. Scott, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Quinn and Brian Dennehy in the role. Willy Loman and his family were anonymous, and those actors offered a generalization of a kind of American everyman. The character was stripped of a particular milieu and culture.
Corey Fischer is superb playing a salesman with a New York Jewish accent. He plays the role as a character with one foot in Brooklyn and the other in the shtetl. There is a Jewish quality about Miller's masterful dialogue in the conversations between Willy and his wife Linda. Willy's schizophrenic conversations between real people and his dream people are engaging. The conversations with Uncle Ben, played strongly by Julian Lopez-Morillas, are striking.
Jeri Lynn Cohen is perfect as Willy's wife Linda. She is crucially passionate and affectingly as Linda preserves the magnitude and self-esteem of her husband.
Michael Navarra gives an outstanding performance as the salesman Biff. His changing from a high school football star to a man in his thirties who can't find himself is first rate. John Sousa is fascinating in his portrayal of Happy, the younger brother, an over-anxious man/child who wants desperately to be loved by his father.
Louis Parnell gives a good performance as the smug Charley who is defiant in his ignorance of things American, especially sports, but is still sympathetic to Willy's problems, even when he is being insulted by the salesman. Zac Jaffee gives a fine performance as Bernard.
Meghan Doyle, Juliet Strong and Danny Webber give sharp performances in supporting roles. Aaron Davidman's direction is excellent as the scenes between fantasy and reality flow smoothly. Giulio Perrone's set is sparse which allows the audience to concentrate on the great performances of the cast. The production is enhanced by a live performance of a lovely, sorrowful score by cellist Jessica Ivry throughout the drama.
