Death of a Salesman

Kudos to the cast members for their flawless performances. The efficient delivery of Miller’s monologues keeps this story believable, especially at the emotional ending.

I give 5 (out of five) stars to Director Mike Reilly, the stage crew and the actors for making Arthur Miller’s classic come so compellingly alive once again.

The Ruskin Theatre Group’s production of Death of a Salesman in Santa Monica, CA confronts us with uncomfortable truths and questions about the American Dream that makes this 70-year-old play feel as challenging and immediate as if Arthur Miller wrote it for us yesterday. Mike Reilly directs a superb cast in the theatre’s delightfully intimate space situated across from the Santa Monica Airport. He and his design team do a fantastic job of using the space to bring the claustrophobic elements of the Loman’s living situation into the audience’s experience.

Written in 1949, Miller dramatically addresses the loss of identity and a man’s inability to accept change within himself and society, told as a montage of memories, dreams, confrontations, and arguments taking place within the last 24 hours of Willy Loman’s life. Reacting to the same social, economic and environmental pressures still going on today, no doubt we can all understand how the desire to “keep up with the Joneses” has worn the hard-working man down to the point of realizing he is worth more dead than alive. And although Morrow appears to be too young to play a 60-year old man on the brink of self-destruction, the actor’s ability to get inside the mind, heart, and soul of Willy shines through as his total distraction from reality takes over his life.

DEATH LIVES

Arthur Miller makes Willie Loman, the tragic figure in his Death of a Salesman, 63 years old. So I was more than a little skeptical as to whether or not Rob Morrow (of Northern Exposure fame) could pull it off. At Ruskin Theatre Group, Morrow, with his boyish good looks, appears much younger than he is at 56. Yet as with Dustin Hoffman and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who were in their 40s when they tackled the role, and Lee J. Cobb, who originated the role in his late 30s, Morrow offers a completely compelling interpretation.

This 70th anniversary revival directed by Mike Reilly proves the play’s timelessness. This great American Tragedy definitely needs to be seen.

The outstanding performance on the Ruskin stage is given by Lee Garlington as Willy’s wife, Linda. Garlington brings Linda to life as the emotional center of the troubled Loman family, who does everything she can to reverse her husband’s downward spiral while blaming their sons for having abandoned him.

I, personally, am completely amazed by the quality of production and the stellar cast- Rob Morrow is absolutely sensational in his portrayal of Willy Lomas and so are Dylan Rourke, Jack Merrill, Lee Garlington, and the rest of this amazing cast. By the end of the play on the opening night almost everybody in the audience is sniffling and whipping their tears and all I can hear is people whispering to each other: ‘So good! So Good!’. I believe it’s a big win for everybody involved in this production to know that they touched peoples hearts and made a long lasting impression.

Kudos to the cast members for their flawless performances. The efficient delivery of Miller’s monologues keeps this story believable, especially at the emotional ending.

I give 5 (out of five) stars to Director Mike Reilly, the stage crew and the actors for making Arthur Miller’s classic come so compellingly alive once again.

An American tragedy, DEATH OF A SALESMAN punctures a hole in the inflated principals of the post-war USA. At The Ruskin Group Theatre, Rob Morrow and his cast illustrate all the reasons why the play still resonates over a half a century later.

What a difference a few years make. The last presidential election has paved the way for the play’s revival, at least for this thoughtful production, directed by Mike Reilly.

Lee Garlington's performance is worth the trip to The Ruskin all in itself alone.  If Morrow finds his way and allows Willy to emerge, we may be pleasantly surprised. His success as a screen actor is extensive. We can appreciate his giving himself a challenge to go against type and hope that there's a happy compromise that will bring Willy Loman from caricature to life.

A revelatory Rob Morrow heads an all-around superb cast in The Ruskin Group Theatre’s meticulously directed, stunningly performed 70th-anniversary revival of Arthur Miller’s Death Of A Salesman.