Meet hard-working salesman Willy Loman as he chases the American Dream in Arthur Miller's Pulitzer Prize winning tragedy, Death of a Salesman. Stacy Keach and Jane Kaczmarek head the cast when Academy Award-winning filmmaker Eric Simonson directs one of the most important dramas of all time for L.A. Theatre Works. Five performances will be recorded March 16-20 at the Skirball Cultural Center for future radio broadcast; L.A. Theatre Works' nationally syndicated radio theater series airs locally in Southern California on KPCC 89.3 every Saturday from 10 pm -midnight and can be streamed on demand at www.latw.org.
Employing stark realism, expressionism and archetypal characters with compassionate simplicity, Death of a Salesman remains one of American drama's most riveting and timeless works. Miller's devastating social commentary explores the pursuit of success and failure in the ever-shifting ideals of the American landscape. Willy Loman loses his tenuous grasp on reality as he struggles to achieve the noble dream of owning his home, suffering the terrible consequences of chasing after an illusion at the expense of his family and ultimately, himself.
An instant critical success, Death of a Salesman opened in 1949 on Broadway's Morosco Theatre under the direction of Elia Kazan. Considered one of Arthur Miller's finest plays, it is a perennial favorite among theatergoers. The tragic figure of Willy Loman still looms large in the American consciousness, touching on the frailty and indomitable spirit of the human condition. As the shadow of Willy Loman continues to fall on stages worldwide, Death of a Salesman endures as a National Treasure for one lowly man to whom "attention must be paid."
Death of a Salesman is the ninth Arthur Miller title to be recorded and preserved in the L.A. Theatre Works archive. To date, LATW has recorded The Ride Down Mt. Morgan starring Brian Cox, Jenny O'Hara, Amy Pietz, Kirsten Potter, Gregory Itzin and Saidah Arrika Ekulona;The Crucible starring Richard Dreyfuss, Stacy Keach, Ed Begley, Jr., Rene Auberjonois, Hector Elizondo and Bud Cort; Broken Glass, starring JoBeth Williams, David Dukes, Lawrence Pressman, and Linda Purl; All My Sons, starring James Farentino, Arye Gross, and Julie Harris; The Price starring Richard Dreyfuss, Amy Irving, and Harris Yulin; A View from the Bridge starring Mary McDonnell and Ed O'Neill; Incident at Vichy starring Tim DeKay, Ben Diskin, Robert Lesser, Raphael Sbarge and Armin Shimmerman; and After the Fall starring Amy Brenneman and Anthony LaPaglia. In addition to radio broadcasts, the recordings are available for purchase on CD at www.latw.org and digitally on itunes.
For three decades, L.A. Theatre Works has been the leading radio theater company in the United States, committed to using innovative technologies to preserve and promote significant works of dramatic literature and bringing live theater into the homes of millions. L.A. Theatre Works' radio theater series can be heard locally in Southern California on Saturday from 10pm to midnight on KPCC 89.3 FM, and can also be streamed on demand at www.latw.org. The series can also be heard on the following stations (check local listings for broadcast times): 89.7 WGBH, Boston; 91.5 FM WBEZ, Chicago; 94.9 KUOW, Seattle; 90.1 WABE, Atlanta; 94.1 KPFA, Berkeley; 91.1 KRCB, North Bay (San Francisco); and in over 100 other markets nationwide.
