To many, Death of a Salesman is the classic American play. From its Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Broadway debut in 1949 through multiple revivals, theater companies return again and again to Arthur Miller’s dissection of the American dream to draw audiences. The Ross Valley Players open their 97th season with a production running in The Barn Theater at the Marin Art and Garden Center in Ross through Oct. 25.
Willy Loman (Charles Queary) is a traveling salesman whose best days are behind him. He has little to show for 30 years of traipsing up and down New England peddling his wares but a lot of debt and a dwindling income. Things are getting tougher for him and his wife Linda (Mary Ann Rodgers) as Willy struggles to deal with a world that is rapidly leaving men of his kind behind. His physical and mental health are rapidly deteriorating.
That struggle isn’t helped by the return of prodigal son Biff (Brennan Pickman-Thoon), who was once the apple of Willy’s eye but has since become estranged. As delighted as Linda is to have Biff and his brother Happy (Evan Held) back home, this is one family reunion that isn’t going to end well.
By show’s end, reality has punctured the illusions the Lohman family have operated under for years. Willy’s pursuit of the American Dream ends in a nightmare for all.
Director Adrian Elfenbaum and his team of designers have leaned into the dream component with a set by Ron Krempetz whose empty shell of a home is frequently enveloped in a fog. Lighting by Robin DeLuca and especially the sound design by Alexis Brooks accent the haze of memory.
There’s a solid ensemble at work here, with exceptional work done by Pickman-Thoon and Held as the brothers. With all due respect to Lee J. Cobb, George C. Scott, Dustin Hoffman and Nathan Lane, Death of a Salesman is really Biff’s story, as he’s the only one with a real character arc, and Pickman-Thoon plays it beautifully. Held is also terrific as the brother who’s the mirror image of Willy and lives under similar illusions.
Those who think components of Miller’s play are archaic may be right, but at a time when more and more people question the American Dream and its attainability, this strongly directed and acted production of Miller’s 75-plus-year-old play seems mighty modern.
‘Death of a Salesman’ runs through Oct. 25 at the Barn Theatre in the Marin Art and Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. Thurs.–Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2pm. $30–$45. 415.456.9555. rossvalleyplayers.com.
