Theater Response To Death Of A Salesman Paul Wickline
Death of a salesman
Theater Response Essay #2- “Death of A Salesman” For Theatre Response Essay #2, I chose to watch “Death Of A Salesman” by playwright Arthur Miller, directed by Paul Wickline. I saw the performance at the College Of The Canyons Performing Arts Center on Sunday April 2nd, 2011. “Death of A Salesman” was written in the 1949 and had a 742 performance run. This play is so world known that it has gone from the stage to the theater. Wickline and this production did an amazing job bringing Miller’s ideals to the stages of College of The Canyons, and the theme and overall tone came shining through. The acting and actors ability to portray the inner turmoil of each one of the Loman family members and present the audience
with the overall moral dilemma was on target. With Aristotle’s components of theater in hand, I was able to analyze and detail each of the six components. The plot was of an old washed-up salesman who made life choices that left him with no irretrievability, thus making him a true tragic character. This life of striving to reach the American Dream by being “liked” ruined his life, his family, and his self-esteem. The characters in “Death of A Salesman” conveyed the person they were portraying in such a way that you as an audience member feel exactly what they were feeling. The theme the playwright tries to convey is that material wealth does not make you happy. Being a clone to the “Joneses” next door only brought Willy despair and destroyed the very foundation of his family. The language and costumes of the play was
Weiss 2 very middle class America. At first glance you tend to think the costumes were bland, but it helps create the feeling of dread, despair and overall failure. In focusing in on characters, I feel the actors and the director did an amazing job. The blocking and business on stage were very realistic and indicative of the time. When thinking back to the days of old, sports and being the star of the team, the director clearly demonstrated the era with what the audience saw on stage. The playwright and Norman Snow put such despair in Loman that you not only felt sorry for Willy but you also were angry for him not realizing his stupidity. Being performed in a proscenium theater was a plus. It gave the audience the “fly on the wall” feeling so they were able to move with Willy and his family from an outsider point of view. With this setting in mind, it was easier to see what ideas and feelings the director was trying to convey. He chose to have lighting that was minimal to show the despair and the underlying tone of darkness. The darkness in Willy’s heart, the idea his family was doomed, the deception towards Linda was so vivid in not only the acting, but the sets, costumes, and lighting as well. All in all, “Death of A Salesman” by playwright Arthur Miller performed at College of The Canyons by Paul Wickline successfully accomplished it mission. The production attempted to show the horrors of striving for materialistic wealth and how it turned a once uplifted man into the tragic flop Willy died as. The American Dream was so prevailing in the 1940’s and 1950’s that it turned the nation into cookie cutter families from cloned worlds. Wickline and the cast showed the life as it was in the 40’s and 50’s from a realistic point of view rather than an overly theatrical perspective. With realism in
Weiss 3 mind the production as well as the playwright did a worthwhile undertaking in bringing audiences from the 21st century back to the days of old and into the life of our tragic hero, Willy Loman.
Theater Response Essay #2- “Death of A Salesman” For Theatre Response Essay #2, I chose to watch “Death Of A Salesman” by playwright Arthur Miller, directed by Paul Wickline. I saw the performance at the College Of The Canyons Performing Arts Center on Sunday April 2nd, 2011. “Death of A Salesman” was written in the 1949 and had a 742 performance run. This play is so world known that it has gone from the stage to the theater. Wickline and this production did an amazing job bringing Miller’s ideals to the stages of College of The Canyons, and the theme and overall tone came shining through. The acting and actors ability to portray the inner turmoil of each one of the Loman family members and present the audience
with the overall moral dilemma was on target. With Aristotle’s components of theater in hand, I was able to analyze and detail each of the six components. The plot was of an old washed-up salesman who made life choices that left him with no irretrievability, thus making him a true tragic character. This life of striving to reach the American Dream by being “liked” ruined his life, his family, and his self-esteem. The characters in “Death of A Salesman” conveyed the person they were portraying in such a way that you as an audience member feel exactly what they were feeling. The theme the playwright tries to convey is that material wealth does not make you happy. Being a clone to the “Joneses” next door only brought Willy despair and destroyed the very foundation of his family. The language and costumes of the play was
Weiss 2 very middle class America. At first glance you tend to think the costumes were bland, but it helps create the feeling of dread, despair and overall failure. In focusing in on characters, I feel the actors and the director did an amazing job. The blocking and business on stage were very realistic and indicative of the time. When thinking back to the days of old, sports and being the star of the team, the director clearly demonstrated the era with what the audience saw on stage. The playwright and Norman Snow put such despair in Loman that you not only felt sorry for Willy but you also were angry for him not realizing his stupidity. Being performed in a proscenium theater was a plus. It gave the audience the “fly on the wall” feeling so they were able to move with Willy and his family from an outsider point of view. With this setting in mind, it was easier to see what ideas and feelings the director was trying to convey. He chose to have lighting that was minimal to show the despair and the underlying tone of darkness. The darkness in Willy’s heart, the idea his family was doomed, the deception towards Linda was so vivid in not only the acting, but the sets, costumes, and lighting as well. All in all, “Death of A Salesman” by playwright Arthur Miller performed at College of The Canyons by Paul Wickline successfully accomplished it mission. The production attempted to show the horrors of striving for materialistic wealth and how it turned a once uplifted man into the tragic flop Willy died as. The American Dream was so prevailing in the 1940’s and 1950’s that it turned the nation into cookie cutter families from cloned worlds. Wickline and the cast showed the life as it was in the 40’s and 50’s from a realistic point of view rather than an overly theatrical perspective. With realism in
Weiss 3 mind the production as well as the playwright did a worthwhile undertaking in bringing audiences from the 21st century back to the days of old and into the life of our tragic hero, Willy Loman.