Arthur Miller: Three Plays, Similar Theme

A father raises his two sons to bask in the promise of the 20th century American dream. But the dream falls apart, accompanied by aching guilt, bitter anger, searing recriminations.

Yes, we’re in Arthur Miller territory. And three small L.A. theaters are exploring this particular corner of Millerland--the father-and-two-sons plays.

Interact Theatre is offering a wrenching production of Miller’s masterpiece, “Death of a Salesman.” Actors Co-op approaches but doesn’t quite reach the same league with Miller’s first major success, “All My Sons.” The Odyssey Theatre has taken on a later, weaker play, “The Price,” and hasn’t found a way of making it seem nearly as significant.

Let’s start at the top. “Death of a Salesman” is one of those rare plays that can move audiences to tears in productions of radically different sizes. One reason the staging at the Ahmanson Theatre in 2000 was thrilling was because it was so big. It was exciting to hear the hushed silence of so many people hanging on every word that Brian Dennehy spoke.

Yet to see the same play in the intimacy of the Interact Theatre offers equally compelling rewards. To be just a few feet away from the hangdog face of Eddie Jones’ Willy Loman lets you look deeply into his eyes and witness the regret behind his brusque vocal delivery. To be so close to the actors during their slashing arguments makes you feel like a visiting relative who arrived just as the family was cracking up.

Not that the surfaces are photo-realistic. The element of “Salesman” that raises it firmly above the other two plays is the interpolation of flashbacks into Willy’s final hours. These scenes generally begin as sunny fantasies within Willy’s mind but end with intimations of his darker side.

Director Anita Khanzadian, abetted by lighting designer J. Kent Inasy, respects the almost surreal quality of these scenes. She probably realized that in such close quarters, the actors obviously won’t look as young as their characters were in those earlier years, so she uses these scenes to emphasize that something is amiss. The seeds of future destruction are literally visible in these reconstructions of the past.

The entire cast is in top form. Besides Jones, the Lomans are Marilyn McIntyre as the wife who walks the perilous line between cheerleader and taskmaster, Don Fischer as the anguished wanderer Biff and Thomas Vincent Kelly as Happy, the son who still believes that the old illusions can come true. The smaller roles are equally blessed. Thomas Buderwitz’s set suggests how shrunken Willy’s world feels.

By contrast, the suburban backyard of the war profiteer Joe Keller in “All My Sons” should feel expansive. The worst thing about Kevin R. Kelley’s staging for Actors Co-op is that it’s crammed into such a tiny, low-ceilinged space that it’s hard to appreciate Joe’s affluence--which ultimately is related to his guilt. The tree that the Kellers planted in memory of their missing son is barely a twig.

Nonetheless, “All My Sons” packs a powerful punch even in these reduced circumstances. Although it lacks the extra dimension that the flashbacks bring to “Death of a Salesman,” “All My Sons” is even more cathartic in the sense that Joe Keller more fully understands his tragedy by play’s end than does Willy Loman.

At Actors Co-op, David Schall’s Joe appears a little too nervous too early; he signals the man’s coming collapse too soon. But by the end, as he’s assaulted by his enraged son, played by fiery John Allsopp, Schall’s terrified demeanor is a heartbreaking glimpse into a man’s contaminated soul.

Bonnie Bailey-Reed’s Kate Keller could be Linda Loman’s sister--pasting on a feverish smile for purposes of morale, then turning stone-cold somber when the occasion demands it. Again, the small roles are well-hewn.

“The Price” suffers from the physical absence of the father. He’s long gone when his middle-age sons--a dutiful cop and a more independent surgeon--meet to sell his belongings and rehash the past. The play intentionally lacks the moral clarity of “All My Sons”; Miller was ambivalent about both sons’ choices. This need not have derailed the play, but it made it too easy for the conversation to go around in circles. The absence of the father allows the conflict to degenerate into virtual whining.

The play’s best character is an elderly antiques dealer who bargains for the belongings. George Murdock is superb in the role, as is Laurie O’Brien as the cop’s impatient wife. Barry Primus is solid as the cop, but Lyle Kessler’s surgeon is monochromatic in both voice--thin and high-pitched--and gesture; he thrusts his right arm to his side so often that it seems a distracting tic rather than a way of emphasizing a point. Anthony Caldarella directed on a lustrously detailed set by Victoria Profitt.

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“Death of a Salesman,” Interact Theatre, 5215 Bakman Ave., North Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends May 26. $15-$25. (818) 773-7862. Running time: 3 hours.

“All My Sons,” Actors Co-op, 1760 N. Gower (enter on Carlos Street), Hollywood. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Ends June 2. $18. (323) 462-8460. Running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes.

“The Price,” Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West L.A. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. except May 19 and June 2, 2 p.m. Ends July 7. $19.50-$23.50. (310) 477-2055. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes.