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The Post-Standard News
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February 14, 1994 APPLESEED'S 'SALESMAN' IS TOP-NOTCH Joan Vadeboncoeur, Entertainment Columnist The disintegration of a man, especially one surrounded by flawed characters, makes endlessly riveting fare. That's one reason "Death of a Salesman" remains sturdy theater. Arthur Miller's telling portraits of Willy Loman and his family are the other. Appleseed Productions, at Atonement Lutheran Church this past weekend, has given the American classic a solid production that is marked by total empathy and a respect for the drama's status. Willy Loman's tragedy rests with his dreams of riches and extravagant hopes for his children. He has always overestimated his worth and the potential of his sons, Happy and Biff. Wife Linda, who oftens bears the brunt of her husband's wrath, recognizes the inadequacies of her family, but finds excuses in the futile belief all will heal. Recently, the climax to Willy's saga has struck me as excessively drawn out. Theatergoers know he's doomed. Miller's title certainly doesn't hide the outcome. It would take an Olivier to find sufficient nuances to sustain interest in the final descent. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Tom Minion cannot overcome this problem. Still, I liked the way he walked as if his feet hurt, the jaunty air he adopted when in a good mood and the bluster that covered his underlying angst. But his Willy was pretty much the same at every age. Usually ebullient and often comic, Ann Rott reins in for Linda, making her a figure as tragic as her husband. There are also strong performances from Charles Wagner as Biff, Trevor Hill as Happy and especially Bernard Kaplan, who brings an comfortable old-shoe quality to the man who tries to help Loman. Less successful are Wolf Warrens, who's too soft to be the outsized Ben, Willy's brother who made it big time, and Tracy Randall, who doesn't appear to fit the bill for the type of woman Happy would pick up. Copyright, 1994, The Herald Company |
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