week of 3/27/02
 
 
 

Miller’s classic takes a hard look at American ideals
SMN
Asheville Community Theatre will stage Arthur Miller’s timeless “Death of a Salesman,” on April 5-21.

Arthur Miller was 33 when “Death of a Salesman” opened on Broadway in 1949. Even more than the actors who have played the role, Willy Loman has grown in the years since his creation. Loman is one of the most recognizable characters in all of American literature, paralleling the stature of such fictitious greats as Huck Finn, Jay Gatsby, Stanley Kowalski and Henry Chenaski. Miller’s tale is a harrowing yet human depiction of pride and a portrait of the maddening desire for the ever-elusive American dream.

While researching the play in New York, director Betsy Bisson learned that not only are Arthur Miller’s characters based on people he knew, but that his greatest masterpiece was inspired by a chance meeting with his Uncle Manny. At the time, Miller’s “All My Sons” was in successful previews, and Manny, who perceived a competition between his son Buddy and his nephew, said, without preamble, “Buddy’s doing very well.” The conversation inspired Miller to write the play with no transitions – to weave the last 24 hours of Willy Loman’s life into a tapestry that includes significant memories as well as current conflicts. “Simultaneity” was Miller’s word for the idea that a person lives in the moment, but when a memory is triggered, the present continues while the memory, overlapping, is relived simultaneously, coloring the reality of the present.

ACT veteran Frank Avery stars as Willy Loman, and Caite Mathis appears as his wife Linda. Bray Creech and Jason Johnson play their sons, Biff and Happy. Also in the cast are Bill Brittain, Silas Dameron, Jennifer Bruce, Doc Henderson, Lauren Powell, Ken Lowery, Wendy Marsh, Mary Geitner and Marc Pedersen. The set and lights are by Richard Seagle and costumes are by Stan H. Poole. Susan Maley is the stage manager.

On Fridays and Saturdays — April 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20 — the play shows at 8 p.m., and on Sundays — April 7, 14 and 21 — the show stages at 2:30 p.m. Betsy Bisson is the director, and Sharon Stokes is the assistant director. Bisson, a free-lance director and Equity actress, is the director of the Theatre for Young People at the Flat Rock Playhouse. She directed ACT’s successful 2001 production of “Grace and Glorie.”

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Call 828.254.1320 for reservations. Box-office hours are noon-4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to curtain time on show days. ACT is located at 35 East Walnut Street in downtown Asheville. Audio enhancement devices are available at every performance. DASI (Descriptive Audio for Sight Impaired) is available at the select performances.