Arthur Miller

ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER

Special to The Jewish News

I

t is February 1949, and Arthur
Miller's Death of a Salesman is
about to open at the Morosco
Theater on Broadway. Miller, 33,
is concerned about how his brutally
realistic drama of a family trying to
capture the American dream will be
received. Directed by Elia Kazan, and
starring Lee J. Cobb as Willie Loman
and Mildred Dunnock as his wife,
Linda, the play's theme runs counter to
a growing post-World War II sense of

Alice Burdick Schweiger is a freelance
writer based in Ann Arbor.

2/5
1999

88 D tr t Jewish News

of real estate men and the city's indif-
national optimism. It raises questions
ference, Kazan and I were sitting on
about our country's capitalist system
the stairs leading up to the balcony ...
and values.
Everything had gone beautifully, but I
With one Broadway hit and one
was near exhaustion since I acted all
flop behind him, Miller knows he has a
the parts internally as I watched. ...
lot riding on the play's success.
The
end created the same spell as it
Salesman has been well received during
had in
tryouts in
Above: Arthur Miller in a recent
Philadelphia."
Philadelphia: the
photograph tak en by his wife,
The rest, of course,
audience's reaction
Magnum photogra pher Inge Morath. is theatrical history.
was one of stunned
Miller earned the
followed
silence
praise
of
the
audience
and the critics,
by thunderous applause.
received
a
Pulitzer
Prize
and New York
But this is Broadway.
Drama
Critics
Award
and
established
Tin2ebends,
In his autobiography
himself as one of the greatest play-
Miller recalls opening night in New
wrights of the 20th century ,.
York: "At the back of the lovely
In the 50 years since its premiere,
Morosco, since destroyed by the greed

Death of a Salesman has been per-
formed all around the world. Now, it is
set to re-conquer Broadway in a new
production opening Feb. 10 at the
Eugene O'Neill Theatre. This time,
Brian Dennehy takes on the role of the
exploited, tormented Willy, and
Elizabeth Franz is his agonized wife,
Linda.
In the five decades since Salesman's
original triumph, Arthur Miller has
managed to stay in the limelight.
Writing critically acclaimed plays,
screenplays and books, marrying movie
idol Marilyn
: Monroe and being sub-
poenaed to appear in front of the
House Un-American Activities

Committee during the McCarthy era