Death of a Salesman Crown Theatre Perth ★★★★★ Linda (Alison Whyte) is all too aware of the decline of Willy (Anthony LaPaglia) as she placates and defends him. Credit: Brett Boardman My eyebrows darted skywards when I learned Neil Armfield’s production of Arthur Miller’s mid-century classic about the dreams and delusions of a burnt-out Brooklyn travelling salesman would be playing not at The Maj or Regal, but a coin-toss from Perth’s gambling ground zero. All I could think of was Anthony LaPaglia’s Willy Loman telling tall tales about life on the road and betting his future on his golden-boy former-athlete son Biff within earshot of punters playing the pokies and huddling around blackjack tables with dreams of hitting the jackpot.
It felt too close for comfort. But when the tears started to flow I realised Crown Theatre was the perfect venue for Miller’s heartbreaking, haunting dissection of the American dream; Death of Salesman is one of those rare works of art capable of both entrancing critics and touching the hearts of audiences who shy away from hoity-toity arts palaces. Indeed, Crown punters should abandon the gaming tables for a night and see Death of a Salesman because Armfield’s production is an absolute knock-out, a stunningly well-acted family drama that bores so deeply into the trauma and tragedy of a family of battlers that it resonates beyond the social and political concerns of the 1950s into our own turbulent times.
Astutely, Armfield and.