Long considered one of the greatest plays of the past century, “Death of a Salesman” is experiencing a revival of sorts on Broadway and on stages across the country. Next month, the St. Louis Black Repertory Company will premiere its production of Arthur Miller’s two-act tragedy about protagonist Willy Loman, who faces a reckoning and is struggling not only with his failures as a traveling salesman, but also his shortcomings as a husband and father.
Times have changed since “Death of a Salesman” premiered on The Great White Way more than 70 years ago, but the themes and the message behind Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning oeuvre endure.
“It’s about a family and about a man holding on to the American Dream,” said Ron Himes, founder and producing director of The Black Rep. “Some people also talk about it being a love story between a father and his sons. Here’s a man who was trying to accomplish something for himself and when he doesn’t, he tries to create a situation where his sons would be able to accomplish something, in continuing to strive for the American Dream.”
For Himes – who will play the titular character – it will be his second turn as Loman. He recently performed the lead role for the Nebraska Repertory Theatre, whose production wrapped in November. But Himes admits for him, the initial idea of playing Loman came from left field.
“The Nebraska Rep had expressed an interest in having me act in something for them, and when they mentioned ‘Death of the Salesman,’ it wasn’t even something on my radar – it wasn’t something I considered doing,” Himes said, adding that he found the role demanding. “It’s such a classic piece and Willy Loman is such a tragic, flawed character – it was challenging.”
Bringing the play to The Black Rep seemed a logical next step, according to Himes.
“While we’ve done a number of plays by white playwrights and we’ve done Shakespeare, our emphasis is producing the work of African American playwrights,” Himes said. “So most American classics don’t come up on my short list of ‘Which plays do we do this year?’ With ‘Death of a Salesman,’ it was a matter of being able to look at how we could produce the work through our lens.”
On Broadway, the Tony Award-winning play began a 17-week limited engagement in September. The critically acclaimed production starring actor and Olivier Award nominee Wendell Pierce as Loman is the first time on a main stage the story is told from the perspective of a Black family.
For Himes and The Black Rep, the opportunity to present the play with an African American family makes for an even more compelling modern production.
“We’re not changing any of the text, but there are some lines that land differently,” he said. “When the waiter in the restaurant tells Biff, ‘I’ve got a table for you, I’ve got one in the back,’ it lands a little differently. And when Willy is in the hotel room with another woman, he tells her to stay in the bathroom, saying ‘I think there’s a law in Massachusetts about it, so don’t come out’ – it expands what that line means.”
Himes further notes telling the Lomans’ story with a Black family highlights the bigger challenge for African Americans in attaining the American Dream.
“The rungs of the ladder have always been spaced differently for African Americans,” he said.
In addition to Himes in the lead role, The Black Rep’s production includes Velma Austin as Linda Loman. The Loman sons will be played by Chauncy Thomas as Biff and Christian Kitchens as Happy.
The creative team is led by St. Louis actor-director Jacqueline Thompson, who also directed Himes in the Nebraska Rep production. And in a major coup, original music for The Black Rep’s production will be composed by Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter and composer (and Ferguson native) Keyon Harrold.
“Death of a Salesman,” which continues The Black Rep’s 46th season of exploring themes of identity and self-worth, runs Jan. 11 to 29 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre. Next is Lloyd Webb’s “The Light” (Feb. 1 to 26, Hotchner Studio Theatre at Washington University), the story of a modern-day couple celebrating an anniversary when a seemingly thoughtful gift sets off an emotional journey with twists and turns; followed by “Skeleton Crew” (March 29 to April 16 at COCA’s Berges Theatre), the third of Dominique Morisseau’s Detroit cycle trilogy.
The season finale, with Himes in the director’s chair, is the 1970s musical revue, “Eubie!” a show about Eubie Blake, the groundbreaking American musician and composer who wrote one of the first Broadway musicals written and directed by African Americans.
“It’s a nice way for us to end the season and look forward to the launch of the next season,” Himes said.
Himes founded The Black Rep (then named the Phoenix Theatre Troupe) in 1976 when he was an undergrad at Washington University. The vision then – as it is today – is to find opportunities for Black artists and to provide platforms for theatre, dance and other creative expressions from the African American perspective.
“We’re adding a new program called ‘Phoenix Rising,’ taking us back to the kind of work that we did. Initially, we produced dance, we produced music … this will allow us to do a lot of that kind of work again,” Himes said.
Additionally, a new program for high school juniors who are interested in and majoring in theatre will launch next year, according to Himes. There’s also ongoing work on a commissioned piece about St. Louis’ own Frankie Muse Freeman, the trailblazing civil rights attorney who died in 2018 at the age of 101.
Despite the company’s new initiatives, Himes says his approach has always been “one day at a time,” just like it was during the early years of The Black Rep.
“It was always one day at a time,” he said. “Then, all of a sudden, it was the fifth anniversary … and before I knew it, it was 25. Now, we’re planning and looking forward to a 50th anniversary. When we started, it wasn’t about legacy and longevity, it was just trying to get through.”
But “it’s great to be in a position where we’re thriving,” Himes admits.
“As Willy Loman says, to weather a 25-year mortgage is an accomplishment … For us, to weather 46 years is an accomplishment.”
For tickets and more information about The Black Rep’s 46th season, visit theblackrep.org.
