Displaying items by tag: On the Road
Review: Death of A Salesman at Redtwist Theatre
"Attention must be paid," Arthur Miller pleads in his Pulitzer Prize winning play "Death of a Salesman." What is now required reading, "Death of a Salesman" asks its audience to consider the worth of one pathetic old man. The play debuted in 1949, at a time when America was coming out of a war and questioning the value of personal fulfillment. For that theme alone this play will always be relevant.
The intimate space at Redtwist Theatre makes for an overwhelming experience. In many of the scenes there's an almost voyeuristic feel. As if you're in someone's living room listening to something you shouldn't. Director Steve Scott uses this atmospheric effect to create a palpable intensity. After the lights go out on the final scene, an audience gasped in unison.
Brian Parry delivers a powerhouse performance as Willy Loman. Both tough and weak at the same time. His Loman is still feisty, making the ending all the more tragic. Jan Ellen Graves' Linda Loman is played calm and collected and rarely sentimental, but lively when the moment is right. Matt Edmonds gives a standout performance as Biff. There are such revelations in Edmonds' interpretation.
Like Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill, Arthur Miller knew America. He knew the sad and melancholic ways average people live. "Death of a Salesman" should make us uncomfortable. We should bristle at the idea of one average man getting used up and thrown away. It's a warning that if you don't take control of your own destiny, society will toss you aside. Willy Loman skirts through life on quick fixes and delusions. In a way, all of us are Willy Loman and Miller asks us to look beyond the superficial. As "On the Road" had also inspired a younger generation to live life differently than their parents, so does "Death of a Salesman." The moral here is that nobody wants to end up as Willy Loman.
Through March 5 at Redtwist Theatre. 1044 W BrynMawr 773-728-7529
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Written by Buzz Center StageFleetwood -Jourdain Theatre, an award-winning theatre company that has been thrilling audiences with over four decades of unique, inspirational, and invigorating Black American and African Diaspora-centered storytelling, has announced the cast and production team for the final production of its 2026 season. THE… -
Goodman’s centennial is its all‑time most successful year, with 300,000 patrons at 4,000 performances & events
Written by Buzz Center StageThe Goodman wraps its 2025/2026 Centennial Season, an unprecedented line-up marking the 100th anniversary of Chicago's flagship not-for-profit theater, as the most successful in its history. Today, the theater released its "A Century of Impact" report, detailing milestone programming and attendance…
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Class is back in session with Victory Gardens’ World Premiere of The Humanities
Written by John AccroccoCoincidentally (or not), Victory Gardens’ new play about a controversial campus speaker opens just days after the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Returning from a lengthy hiatus, Victory Gardens once again lights up the Biograph Theater with the world… -
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