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    Theatre Review: Death of a Salesman reminds people to notice others

    From left, Mark Mann (Willy Loman) and Jay Hobson (Biff Loman) in the SRO Theatre Company production of Death of a Salesman. Photo by Dale Bush Photography

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    Last night, SRO Theatre opened its long-awaited production of Arthur Miller’s beloved classic Death of a Salesman.
    Mark Mann plays a poignant and fine Willy Loman. Mann seamlessly shifts from an eager, young salesman to the gray-haired, exhausted man, and anywhere in between, as the show bounces from hazy memory to reality and back. We feel his pain, loneliness, and confusion, and almost feel a pang of empathy for the prideful fool. Josie Merkle gives a heartfelt performance as his wife Linda, providing some substance to a character who can easily be swept under a rug. Merkle’s Linda simply breaks hearts.

    Other characters float in and out the play, some still living, most not. Willy lives in his head, amidst a dream-world of memories and situations that never quite played out. He faces further mental torment when his sons, Biff and Happy, stay over. Jay Hobson (Biff) and Ian Klingenberg (Happy) embody the awkwardness of the thirty-something-year-old sons staying with their parents. Unfortunately, much of this comes across as slightly stilted, as though the characters do not know or believe what they say. This, naturally seems like a deliberate choice, but it simply does not work well.

    As the show continues into the second act, these tensions rise between the sons and Willy to create an explosion of well-crafted conflict that captivates all attention. Mann, Merkle, Hobson, and Klingenberg’s create the quintessential kitchen table where fighting, secrets, lies, and good-intentioned honesty feel all too familiar, real, and heart-retching.

    Director Dee Shepherd leads a relatively fearless, yet long production. Be prepared to leave the theater at 11 pm. Liz Kurtzman collected and designed a complex variety of period props for this show, no easy task. Jim Keller’s realistic set creates a simple backdrop for the family, complete with creatively constructed kitchen appliances. Costumes look great. The play, however, suffers from some weak lighting and sound choices, which hinders the memory feeling of the show. Too often the actors are not lit, especially in the opening scene. Sound perhaps missed some opportunities to create an encompassing journey through distant sounds, sounds that pulse from the recesses of a memory until it screams, rather than simply fulfill obligatory sound cue purposes.

    We know a lot about Death of a Salesman. Everyone studied it in school and it grew into a common occurrence of American culture. Most people probably know the name Willy Loman, which is really an odd kind of irony. Having not looked at the show for a few years now, the most interesting things about the show stems from the fact that none of it seems abnormal today. Of course, Willy’s life transforms into what it does. We know the all-star athlete does not always become the business mogul; often, quite the opposite occurs. It is now socially acceptable to cry as a man, to not be liked (really, it’s encouraged), and to follow your passions. The play feels archaic, especially in this economic and political climate, but that is okay. Without a doubt, this play remains an excellent piece of writing with endless theatrical possibilities, and still serves as the standard of modern tragedy.

    “He had a good dream. It’s the only dream you can have—to come out number-one man.” As powerful and symbolic those famous words of Happy remain, they almost produce a laugh today. People know better than that, and moreover, oftentimes people do live lives where they go about being used and discarded. If anything, a man is indeed a piece of fruit. Life, work, family, obligations, responsibilities eat the fruit and discard the peel. Perhaps Death of an American Dream fits as a better title for contemporary audiences. Despite the content feeling old, the central point of the play, to notice people and pay attention, seems more necessary than ever.

    Showtimes for Death of a Salesman are 8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 15; 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 16; 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 17; 10:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 22; 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 23; and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 24.

    Tickets are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors (55+), $15 for SRO members, $10 for students, and $15 for adults and seniors for the 10:30 a.m., Friday, November 22, performance. Tickets can be purchased by going to the website at SROTheatre.org. Discounted group tickets (10+ people) are available. For group sales, call 614-258-9495.

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    Lisa Much
    Lisa Much
    Lisa Much is a recent transplant to Columbus as of June. She comes from Chicago having freelanced as a stage manager and prop designer. She holds a BA in Sustainable Theater from Green Mountain College in Vermont.
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