By Patricia Morris Buckley | SDUN Theatre Critic
“Death of a Salesman” is one of those plays that was revolutionary when it premiered, hence the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for playwright Arthur Miller, but over time has turned into one of those dramas we attend because it’s supposed to be good for our theatrical diets.
While the Old Globe Theatre’s production is certainly the caliber you’d expect of San Diego’s premiere theater, it has several major hurdles it attempts to overcome, yet it barely clears.
There is one exception and that’s the powerhouse performance of Jeffrey DeMunn as disenchanted salesman Willy Loman. Audiences may not know his name as well as his face. DeMunn has been in hundreds of movies (“The Green Mile,” “Shawshank Redemption, “Burn After Reading”), TV shows (he currently stars as Dale in “The Walking Dead”) and on Broadway, where he’s been nominated for a Tony.
DeMunn moves with amazing fluidity from a timid young buck to a disillusioned head of family to a 63-year-old who has lost his grip on reality. He always feels true to the role, so much so that he slips inside it in an expertly skilled manner that suggests theatrical camouflage.
And while the rest of the cast in fine, they just don’t come up to DeMunn’s level. While the play is supposed to be about Willy and his personal struggles with expectations vs. reality, his family is a large part of his world. The role of Biff, Willy’s oldest son and greatest failure, is a classic theater character. Lucas Caleb Moseley is more convincing as the older Biff than the younger boy, yet lacks the naturalness of DeMunn’s performance. Only John Procaccino in the small role of Charley does that.
Think of it this way: DeMunn’s performance is that of a diamond. Normally, directors surround a diamond with other precious gems, not pearls or turquoise. These stones are beautiful, but they don’t sparkle like a diamond.
The show also starts with a huge misstep. This is not a play that works in the round. Set designer Marion Williams does her best to create the illusion of multi-levels and spaces with different uses (and the audience gasps when the whole set moves at the top of the show). But the blocking never feels natural or smooth on the cramped and awkward set.
Add to that a script that really needs to be trimmed. This production runs close to three hours. That’s three hours about a loser of a man who, after buying into the notion of the post World War II American dream, has built up so much self-deception about himself and his family that he cripples his sons in the process. Sure, this length is typical of a play written in the ‘40s, but is difficult to sit through today, especially as there is little humor in the show.
“Death of a Salesman” is a classic and this production boasts a powerful and memorable performance by DeMunn. But as far as diets go, it’s a little too healthy to be thoroughly enjoyable.
When: Through Feb. 27
Where: Old Globe Theatre, Balboa Park
Tickets: $29-$67
Info: (619) 23-GLOBE
Web: theoldglobe.org
