Death of a Salesman: first preview cancelled



The first preview of the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning drama Death of a Salesman, directed by eight-time Tony Award winner Mike Nichols, as been cancelled due to it's star Philip Seymour Hoffman, having the flue.

Previews are now expected to begin on Tue 14 Feb 2012. The play will open at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on 15 Mar 2012 and still play a strictly limited 16-week engagement through to 2 Jun 2012 as original scheduled.

Along with Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) as 'Willy Loman,' the drama also stars Tony nominee Linda Emond (Life x 3) as 'Linda Loman,' Andrew Garfield (star of the upcoming "Spider-Man" movie) in his Broadway debut as 'Biff Loman,' Finn Wittrock as 'Happy,' Fran Kranz as 'Bernard,' Bill Camp as 'Charley,' John Glover as 'Ben,' Remy Auberjonois as 'Howard Wagner,' Glenn Fleshler as 'Stanley,' Stephanie Janssen as 'Miss Forsythe,' Kathleen McNenny as 'Jenny,' Elizabeth Morton as 'Letta' and Molly Price as 'The Woman.'

Death of a Salesman: Set in 1940s New York, it is the story of Willy Loman, an ageing salesman whose grasp on the reality of his life is slipping away. Through the drama of his family quarrels, replayed in his head, we see the ways in which the flaws of one generation are imprinted on the next. The play had its Broadway premiere in 1949 and has been revived on Broadway four times. The original production won the Tony Award for Best Play, and two of the later productions won Tony Awards for Best revival.

The production features a recreation of the original Tony Award-winning scenic design by Jo Mielziner, with costume design by Academy Award winner and five-time Tony Award nominee Ann Roth, lighting by three-time Tony Award-winner Brian MacDevitt and sound design by Tony Award-winner Scott Lehrer.

Death of a Salesman originally opened on 10 Feb 1949 at the Morosco Theatre (demolished 1982). The drama won six Tony Awards, including Best Play, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, the first play to ever win all three awards.

The last time a Death of a Salesman was performed on Broadway was in 1999. It starred Brian Dennehy as 'Willy Loman,' Elizabeth Franz as his wife 'Linda Loman,' and Kevin Anderson as 'Bliff,' with direction by Robert Falls. That production won a Tony Award for Best Revival and also earned the director and both lead actors Tony Awards.

Philip Hoffman

Originally published on

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