Death of a Salesman review

Broadway hasn't suffered from a Salesman shortage. Since 1999, there have been four revivals of Arthur Miller's 1949 masterpiece on the Great White Way, none more stirring or explosive than the current production. This one has an unexpected headliner in the role of Willy Loman: Nathan Lane, best known for ratcheting up the laughs in comedies and musicals, delivers a stunning, heartbreaking portrayal. Attention must indeed by paid to his performance.

And to those with whom he shares the stage, especially the fabulous Laurie Metcalf as Willy's loyal, long-suffering wife Linda, and Christopher Abbott as wayward elder son Biff. I've been moved by past productions of the play, but never to the point where I shed tears as Linda admonished her sons about the worth of their misguided father as she implored that "attention must be paid" to him.

That was also the case in the climactic scene between Willy and Biff, where the former vehemently proclaims his — and by extension his son's — worth with the one of theater's most famous lines: "I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman!" Typically regarded as another example of Willy's delusion, here it also resonated as a parent reminding his defeated son of his worth.

That's what makes director Joe Mantello's production such a blockbuster. It delivers more than we've come to expect from this classic American drama, and the risks Mantello, his cast and creative team take pay off. Instead of a naturalistic set of the Loman home, scenic designer Chloe Lamford puts Willy's car center stage. Lane drives the traveling salesman's motor — that symbol of American success — onstage at the start, where it remains until he backs it out near the end.

And Mantello has cast different actors to play the younger versions of Loman children Biff and Happy, and their neighbor Bernard. What could come off as a director tampering with a playwright's intent instead gives the production a fluidity and richness. 

But what makes this Salesman such a smash is the attention it pays to its characters and their struggles to achieve the American dream, which haven't changed that much more than 75 after this masterpiece premiered.