Clarke gives a nuanced performance that shows that Linda works as hard as Willy does to preserve his dignity. Clarke plays Linda Loman as the glue that holds the family together. One line from the script, which Pierce spoke, perfectly sums up his performance: “A star like that, magnificent, can never fade away.” A master of his craft, Pierce never ceases to give a riveting performance. Pierce is emotionally naked in his portrayal, whether it is while showing Willy’s regrets about the past, or in the anger Willy has about his customers abandoned him. Pierce gives Willy a stubborn pride, and watching the character reluctantly debase himself (such as when Willy had to ask for money or better job conditions) was heart-wrenching. Wendell Pierce plays Willy Loman masterfully. And I loved Cromwell’s use of silence to punctuate critical scenes, allowing characters’ emotions to simmer or for the audience to take in a pivotal moment.Īndré De Shields as Ben Loman. The use of silhouettes and period music also enhanced the mood and enveloped the audience in the time period. The use of camera flashes, audio recording playback, and stylized motion were a vivid way to show Willy’s psychological turmoil (with contributions to this effect provided lighting designer Jen Schriever and sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman). The Lomans in this production are real human beings who inhabit a specific culture but also experience universal dreams and disappointments.Ĭromwell was innovative in several aspects of this production.
Cromwell interweaves aspects of early 20th century Black culture into the play, most notably the addition of blues music. But reality intrudes, nonetheless.įor this Broadway revival, director Miranda Cromwell cast Black actors to play the Loman family and most of the supporting roles. Willy copes by convincing himself and those around him that he is much more successful than he is because the truth about his mediocrity is too hard for him to talk about. Though never excellent, his job performance has deteriorated markedly. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman (the title character) is a 63-year-old man facing the end of his career.
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