Amongst the greatest of all American plays is Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Miller won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for the play. Since opening on Broadway 1949, it has always proven popular both critically and commercially. There have been four revivals of Death of a Salesman and amongst the most powerful was the 1999 revival starring Brian Dennehy as Willy Loman.
Joining Dennehy in this production, which started at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, were Elizabeth Franz as Linda, Ted Koch as Happy and Ron Eldard as Biff. Eldard took over the role after Kevin Anderson finished his run in the play. Robert Falls directed the production.
Starting tonight, Playbill will stream the Showtime film of this production’s final performance. You can watch the play beginning at 6:00 PM EDT/3:00 PM PDT. It will remain available through October 25th. There is no charge to watch, but donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged. You can make donations here.
In Miller’s play, Willy Loman has just returned home from a business trip. He is tired of life on the road. Over the next 24 hours, through a series of memories and intense confrontations with his wife and two sons, Loman tries to reconcile the affair he had 15 years ago and his increasing inability to provide for his family. Not only does this pose complications with his wife, Linda, but he finds his vaulted position in the eyes of his sons, particularly Biff, has crumbled in front of his eyes.
Miller was taking a look at the American dream and whether or not it is attainable. If not, what are the costs. That eternal question makes the play ripe for re-examination as has been proven through its five Broadway productions and thousands of productions around the world.
For more about Death of a Salesman and its history, Showtime released this documentary around the same time they first aired this 1999 production. The audio goes in and out of synch, but it is an interesting look at the history of the play.
Death of a Salesman was nominated for six Tony Awards and won four including Best Revival of a Play, Best Actor for Dennehy, Best Featured Actress for Franz and Best Director for Falls.
This is a powerful production that I’ve seen both on stage and in this film. Fans of Death of a Salesman will love it. If you don’t know the play, this is as good a way to be introduced as you can get. After all, attention must be paid.
Note: Brian Dennehy passed away earlier this year.
Photo: Willy (Brian Dennehy) and Linda (Elizabeth Franz) Loman in the Goodman Theatre’s 1998 production of Death of A Salesman. (Photo by Eric Y. Exit/Courtesy the Goodman Theatre)