The Price
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Arthur Miller’s play, The Price, does something that most Miller plays don’t do; it will make you laugh. That doesn’t mean there aren’t heavy moments, this is Arthur Miller after all, and there are no light moments in the likes of The Crucible, Incident at Vichy, Death of a Salesman, or A View From the Bridge. But this play has charm and wit to go along with the heavy bits.
Jessica Hecht, Mark Ruffalo, Tony Shalhoub, Danny DeVito
The wonderful cast of The Price (directed by Terry Kinney) makes the production memorable. Jessica Hecht, as Esther Franz, is wry, plucky and yearning. We last saw and loved Ms. Hecht as Golde in Fiddler on the Roof. Both characters share the longing for something better, but in the mid-20th century Esther has had an easier row to hoe and she gets to put on a polished veneer in her Jackie Kennedy inspired suit. Yet, her life hasn’t turned out the way she had hoped.
Mark Ruffalo and Jessica Hecht. Photo by Joan Marcus
Mark Ruffalo is earnest and contemplative as Victor Franz. Not all movie actors are able to successfully make the transition to the stage but Mr. Ruffalo, acting chops well in place, turns in a fine performance and meshes well with his fellow actors. It is the character, Victor, who has the biggest struggle with the price he paid for past decisions. His blue police uniform might as well be prison garb and his 28 years on the force have been more like a sentence.
Mark Ruffalo and Tony Shalhoub. Photo by Joan Marcus
Victor’s brother, Walter, is played by Tony Shalhoub. I saw Mr. Shalhoub this summer in the charming off-Broadway musical The Band's Visit and enjoyed that performance immensely. Walter made decisions early in his life that led to success and prestige. His decisions also led to family estrangement and a failed marriage. Who has paid the greater price? The Franz brothers are ready to fight about that.
“With used furniture, you can’t be emotional.”
Enter Danny DeVito. He plays Gregory Solomon, a second-hand furniture dealer, who is there to help Victor unload his father’s household belongs. “With used furniture, you can’t be emotional,” says Gregory, ever in search of a sharp deal. Mr. DeVito does great justice to this role. Sure, he brings zinging humor to his lines but he doesn’t do it with a wink and a nod, rather with a twist of pragmatic cynicism befitting a character who has seen it all.
Mark Ruffalo and Danny DeVito. Photo by Joan Marcus
The humor in the first half gives way to emotional reckoning in the second half (a shift that may not sit well with every theater-goer) as the various Franzes come to terms with each other and the consequences of earlier choices. Arthur Miller gets back to being Arthur Miller with some introspective soliloquies and our second-hand furniture dealer gets the last laugh.
Joel had to cancel last minute because duty called, and cousin Nancy, always engaging and erudite, kindly joined me on a rainy New York City night at the American Airlines Theatre. So with a favorite theater companion, four fine actors, and Arthur Miller, the evening was . . . priceless.
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Why we went: Arthur Miller and a powerhouse cast
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