NYTimes.com: WAS that the ghost of Willy Loman I spotted in Zuccotti Park the other day, swapping grievances with the spirits of Joe Hill and Woody Guthrie? Probably not. Willy, the title character of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” went to his grave paying lip service to — and perhaps even still half-believing in — the American dream. Anyway, being part of a public protest would have embarrassed a guy who put his trust in the conquering power of a smile and a shoeshine and who wanted, above all, to be well liked.
Friday, November 04, 2011
Willy Loman, Broadway and Occupy Wall Street
NYTimes.com: WAS that the ghost of Willy Loman I spotted in Zuccotti Park the other day, swapping grievances with the spirits of Joe Hill and Woody Guthrie? Probably not. Willy, the title character of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” went to his grave paying lip service to — and perhaps even still half-believing in — the American dream. Anyway, being part of a public protest would have embarrassed a guy who put his trust in the conquering power of a smile and a shoeshine and who wanted, above all, to be well liked.
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4 comments:
Philip Seymour Hoffman will make a great Willy Loman. I'm just so excited to see that performance because this actor will make a really interesting performance. He has one of those faces that I can easily picture being in The Death of a Salesman. Looking back at the story, I think that the script is interesting. I didn't warm to the ideas when I first read the play for school. In my opinion, there were plays that I became more readily interested in but now I suppose there is more to these ideas. I understand the struggle and I get the familial ties that are strained between a father and his sons. Maybe the fact that there is now a revival, I get a second chance to fully appreciate that storyline. Maybe even have a little more empathy for Willy himself. I guess I'll have to wait and see.
I'd like to think that the recent trend in NYC theatres producing plays with characters who could be found in the Occupy protests is a sign of change. A sign that shows the politics of the middle class are becoming part of bourgeois culture (what type can afford Broadway plays) is indicative of a social movement. But I'm not sure. Part of me wants the characters in these plays to be main characters. The article talks about the desire of be seen vs. the economic conditions that make certain classes invisible to others. I'd like to see plays about visibility: unions, revolutionaries, and dark satire of the government. But we don't see these and maybe we won't. And maybe there's promise in that. In 1900 Chekhov wrote plays about the unseen, middle class families going into debt and unhappy with their jobs. 10 years later: the Bolshevik Revolution.
This article brings up a fascinating parallel between the Occupy Wall Street protests and the theatre world. I was initially drawn in by the connections found between the characters and themes in ‘Death of a Salesman’, and the people participating in and goals of the protests. In ‘Death of a Salesman’, Willy loses his sense of personal pride and accomplishment when he is laid off from his job. He, like the Occupy Wall Street protesters, really just wants to be noticed and be allowed the same rights and distinction that the rich enjoy. It’s great that the Broadway and off-Broadway theatre scenes are responding to the Wall Street protests and overall political climate of the US and putting on shows with corresponding themes. Hopefully this conversion of the theatre will further change in the US economic structure.
It's good to see these plays that are indicative of the Occupy Wall Street movement. As theater artists, or really just artists in general, we are able to provide a voice to movements and ideas, and the general mood of the population at large. I think that while the Occupy protests themselves have done this fairly well, and provided good publicity, I think plays and other artforms can let people view the movement through a different lens, and give people a better understanding of what's going on. It's really interesting to see a character like Willy Loman who was written in such a different time in America to be so pertinent in our world today. Perhaps it's a sign that we are dealing with similar things or perhaps even still struggling with the same things that people back in that era are dealing with, and it's still a very pertinent topic today
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