Following a critically acclaimed run in London, this vibrant and timely production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman comes to Broadway for 17 weeks only. Olivier Award nominee Wendell Pierce and Olivier Award winner and 2022 Tony nominee Sharon D Clarke reprise their roles as Willy and Linda Loman in a revival told – for the first time on Broadway – from the perspective of an African American family.
A new cast of supporting actors joins the production in New York, featuring Khris Davis and Tony winner André De Shields. Directed by Miranda Cromwell – who won an Olivier Award alongside co-director Marianne Elliott for the West End and Young Vic productions – this powerful interpretation of Miller's classic drama illuminates the dark underbelly of the American Dream and its elusive promise of equality and opportunity for all. Don’t miss the brilliantly reimagined revival The New York Times called "vital and electrifying."
Everything in the production seems pitched over the top, including Willy's declining mental condition, which here feels more like full-blown dementia than merely a man defeated by life who is losing his grip. The flashback scene in which Willy is discovered by Biff (Khris Davis) to be in a hotel room with another woman (Lynn Hawley) is bizarrely played for laughs, with the woman loudly cackling in demented fashion. Throughout the evening, the actors frequently shout their lines, as if not trusting us to appreciate the dialogue.
Whether it's the right casting, aside from the peerless Clarke in stand-by-your-man mode, is another matter entirely. Pierce overplays Willy's almost-constant anger - at life, at Linda, at his 'disappointing' sons, Biff (Khris Davis) and Happy (an almost too-charismatic McKenley Belcher III) - making him less-than-sympathetic and, at times, almost insufferable. There's some subtext in his physical portrayal that suggests this Willy may be suffering from a brain tumor or dementia, which would explain a lot of his behavior. And one can certainly argue that a Black man in 1949 Brooklyn has a lot to be angry about. But all in all, Pierce's Willy seems to have far too much fighting spirit left for his ultimate decision to make sense.
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Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
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2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Miranda Cromwell |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | Sharon D Clarke |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | Wendell Pierce |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Death of a Salesman |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Sharon D. Clarke |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play | Sharon D Clarke |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Death of a Salesman |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Wendell Pierce |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Jen Schriever |
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