Arthur Miller, being one of America’s finest has been making a resurgence in British theatre of late. And The Price being a lesser-kown play may not get the usual attention from fans of Miller. However this production directed by Jonathan Munby has the hallmarks of some of Britain’s finest.
Each character has their own moment to enter the narrative and give us the clues to the thread of the story. However the dynamics of the relationship of the 2 brothers has a long way to go, as there has been a lot of water under the bridge during the 16 years since their father passed. This is where the interesting moments start, as the brothers begin to trigger each other in ways they really did not expect. Elliot Cowan plays Victor Franz and John Hopkins plays his brother Walter. As a man who starts to realise he may not have made the right choices in his life, Cowan gives a solid performance of pathos and internal struggle. Things seem to be fine with him as he struggles with his over generosity whilst haggling with the Jewish furniture dealer, played very nicely with an experienced comic turn by Henry Goodman.
There are some slow moments in act one – clearly exposition. However the wholly unexpected entrance of the absent brother (Hopkins) just at the final moments of act one, really throws a spanner in the works. This is where the drama starts.
The role of Esther Franz is not a particularly deeply written character, as it feels Miller was really focussed on the central conflict of the piece which revolves around the two brothers. However Faye Castelow captures the essence of the period with grace as she portrays the physicality and dialect of a Yiddish-influenced New York house wife of the sixties. Goodman also captures this essence in his portrayal of Gregory Solomon. And our expectations of a furniture salesman from New york in 1967 may be surprisingly inaccurate.
Munby has deeply explored the dynamics of the brothers, bringing out a fine and tender chemistry between Hopkins and Cowan. The status between the brothers changes dramatically, and at times you might wonder if the deceased father is going to make some kind of appearance.
The production value is high, with an apt set design by Jon Bausor. It really feels like Munby has a clear win with this production, as he has expertly brought together his creative and technical team in such a way that he has put his own stamp on the play. As a director his role along with the actors is to make his very best interpretation of the story and characters, to such a degree that at times the writer may not have completely known everything he has put to paper. This is certainly one of those productions, and I believe Miller would have celebrated this interpretation.
