THE PRICE. To 14 March.
Newcastle-under-Lyme.
THE PRICE
by Arthur Miller.
New Vic Theatre To 14 March 2009.
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat 7 March 2.15pm no performance 25 Feb, 4, 9 March.
Audio-described 7 March 2.15pm.
Captioned 10 March.
Post-show Discussion 10 March.
Runs 2hr 35min One interval.
TICKETS: 01782 717962.
www.newvictheatre.org.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden 21 February.
Twice The Price proves good value.
Two Prices in one day shows the quality of Arthur Miller’s play, with fascinating differences between Robin Herford’s New Vic production and the line taken in Giles Croft’s, for Liverpool and Nottingham. Partly it’s the staging. There’s no place for the dark piles of furniture in-the-round. This makes for a lighter texture to the objects on, and surrounding, the attic setting in the old family home that’s about to be demolished.
There are differences too in the playing, from the first act tiff between policeman Victor and his wife Esther. Herford encourages a light, playful surface; as in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, bitterness and disappointment have wrapped themselves in a humorous manner, necessary for survival, over the years.
Esther’s denial she drinks too much becomes apparent, and Deborah MacLaren makes clear her character’s reason for not wanting to be seen with her husband in his uniform: she doesn’t want people to know how much he earns. It’s not the ‘how much’ so much as the idea of being open to instant classification by strangers.
The play’s dramatic individuality is ensured by the character of Solomon, an 89-year old ex-furniture dealer who represents the ability to ‘bounce back’ that’s important to the play – which, in a way, is about survival - by coming out of retirement. Breathless from the stairs, Christopher Godwin’s performance mixes this one-time vaudeville performer’s tendency to perform with a humane interest, in a life sustained on chocolate and oranges.
Brightly noticeable even when seeming not to want to interfere, Godwin maintains the combination of sage and show-off. But the ultimate show-down comes between the brothers with their contrasting public service and private career paths. If it’s Victor’s police salary that’s widely-known, the successful Walter is the one who claims job satisfaction in his recent public health work.
Paul McCleary brings his usual thoughtful style to Walter, listening, thinking, responding - giving the character a reflective sympathy. And Tom Hodgkins’ excellent Victor shows as he stands awkwardly and his face registers battered responses to others’ words, life lived as a struggle, in Herford’s fine revival.
Victor Franz: Tom Hodgkins.
Esther Franz: Deborah Maclaren.
Gregory Solomon: Christopher Godwin.
Walter Franz: Paul McCleary.
Director: Robin Herford.
Designer: Michael Holt.
Lighting: Phil Davies.
Sound: James Earls-Davis.
Voice coach: Mark Langley.
2009-02-27 01:29:29