Forever etched into our memory, and perhaps even revisited daily, as we earnestly toil and struggle to achieve the American Dream, Arthur Miller embodies the standard by which playwrights have been measured for over half a century.
Now the Stony Brook community will have the opportunity to partake of Miller’#146;sgreatest work, a play that has gone on to influence generations and redefinethe landscape of American culture, not to mention modern theater.
A single engagement of the great American tragedy, ‘Death of a Salesman’,will be performed by the Montana Repatory Theatre, on the main stage of theStaller Center on Saturday, April 6, at 8pm.
‘Death of a Salesman’ has been lauded for its realistic depictionof the middle class plight and psyche, combined with its dramatic and theatricalpresentation of memory and fantasy in a way never before done in American theater.
So memorable has the experience been, from the time when the curtains werefirst raised at the Morosco Theatre on February 10, 1949, that even the laytheatergoer has recognized Miller’#146;s genius. And since then, well…thesuperlatives haven’#146;t stopped flowing.
This stirring tragedy compassionately explores the hollowness and treacheryof the ever elusive American dream. It tells of a traveling salesman by thename of Willy Loman, who faces the twilight of his career. Loman is confrontedwith his failures, both professional and personal, whilst his family struggleswith success and integrity. The results for the Loman household are bitterlydevastating.
Not withstanding its genius and foresight, since its debut over fifty yearsago, ‘Death of a Salesman’ has forced us to examine and understandthe America in which we live.
Following such a devastating tragedy as September 11, which cut through ournation, it is important to experience the magnificence of a wholly appropriatedrama. As we begin to rebuild our great nation, a lot of parallels can be drawnbetween its characters and New Yorkers, and therein lies the beauty of Miller’#146;svision.
For ‘Death of a Salesman’, Miller has won the New York Drama CriticsCircle Award, the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. His other notable creditsinclude ‘The Crucible’, ‘A View from the Bridge’ and ‘AllMy Sons.’ Miller along with Eugene O’#146;Neill and Tennessee Williamsare credited with putting American drama on the map of world theater.
The Montana Rep, a prominent touring company, will be staging this latest revivalof ‘Death of a Salesman.’ Headed up by Greg Johnson, the Montana Repis currently touring the nation, performing in a host of venues from art centersto college campuses. However, it was originally established in 1997 ‘toprovide professional quality theatre to its own and neighboring western statesat an affordable cost.’
Johnson has been the artistic director of the Montana Repertory Theatre since1990. His Broadway credits include ‘Biloxi Blues’, ‘Crimes ofthe Heart’ and ‘Is There Life After High School.’
Come celebrate an American classic with the nation’#146;s leading touring professionaltheater troupe! But be sure to remember to pick up your tickets in advance atthe Staller box office, as seats are going fast.
