INTERVIEW: Arthur Miller’s ‘The Price’ receives first-ever off-Broadway revival
Image courtesy of Village Theater Group / Provided by Off Off PR with permission.
Arthur Miller, the preeminent American playwright of the 20th century, has so many unforgettable credits to his name, everything from The Crucible to Death of a Salesman to All My Sons. Beyond the well-known masterpieces, some theatergoing audiences forget the many other dramas he concocted over his multi-decade career. One of them is the beloved play The Price, which appeared on Broadway a few seasons ago and is now coming to the off-Broadway scene courtesy of the Village Theater Group.
This revival is actually the inaugural production of the Village Theater Group, according to press notes, and the first time The Price has appeared off-Broadway. The company is billed as a collective of young artists who are committed to advancing bold new works and classic plays. They have set up at the Theatre at St. Clements in Midtown Manhattan, with performances of The Price beginning Wednesday, Feb. 19, and continuing until March 30.
Noelle McGrath is the director of the new production. She has appeared in many productions as an actor, having performed at the Metropolitan Playhouse, with the Gallery Players and at the Judson Memorial, among other theaters. Recently she exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox to talk all things Arthur Miller. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
Why is it important to revive The Price in 2025? Why now?
We live in turbulent times. The Price, a later play of the great Arthur Miller, opened on Broadway in the equally turbulent year of 1968. Against a backdrop of assassinations, war and cultural upheaval, Miller offered a powerful play about two estranged brothers whose lives were disfigured by the catastrophe of the Depression and the ruination of their once-prosperous father.
Now dead and surrounded by his ponderous collection of furniture, they must come together to settle old scores and dispose of it all before the building in which it sits gathering dust is torn down. Like most classics its timeliness is striking.
The Price has many of the themes of Miller’s earlier plays: the lure and illusion of the American Dream, the choices we make, the lies we tell ourselves and others, the price we pay. It illustrates very powerfully that the choices we make when we are young will be reckoned with when we are older, making it essential viewing for young adults. It addresses the issue of estrangement in families, something too many are dealing with today. This play raises issues of forgiveness, self-sacrifice, driving ambition, resilience and how we process major change and loss. For many, even those familiar with Arthur Miller, it will be the first time they have encountered this unforgettable play.
What do you like about Arthur Miller’s characters in this play?
Miller gives us four complex and intriguing characters: Victor Franz, a decent but disillusioned NYPD cop nearing retirement, and his wife Esther, a charming but frustrated woman facing an empty nest and the maddening indecisiveness of her husband. She wants to be young before she’s old and live a fashionable existence before it’s too late. Walter Franz is an influential and wealthy doctor estranged from them for 16 years. He’s an intelligent man who has lived a life of consuming ambition, only to lose his marriage and his health in the process. When we meet him he is in the healing stage after a breakdown and wants to reestablish his relationship with his brother.
Into this mix is thrown Gregory Solomon, an ancient furniture dealer and appraiser faced with the challenge of making this his last hurrah. Victor is by turns sympathetic and stubborn, Esther adorable and tough as nails, Walter arrogant and deeply insightful. Solomon is one of Miller’s great creations, a force of nature unperturbed and undefeated by the vicissitudes of life.
As we listen to the stories these characters tell, I think there is no one who will not recognize themselves up there in the attic of forgotten furniture.
What are the unique challenges of directing this show?
Well, it’s good in the beginning to understand Miller’s dramatic structure. He gives you an American scene, recognizable, friendly, familiar, with people we think we know and trust easily. Then a character comes riding in after everything is already established and upsets the apple cart, really shakes you to your core. The deus ex machina arrives, and everything changes. Nothing is as it seems. Time to face the music.
Also older plays are often longer plays, this one clocks in at 2 and 1/2 hours, so the pacing is extremely important. It’s a challenge to balance the strong personalities, keep it entertaining and true to Miller’s message and intensity. Fortunately, it’s a challenge I’m excited about and extremely honored to be taking on.
Does your work as an actor help inform your work as a director?
Without a doubt. Your actor’s sensibility informs everything you do as a director, from the stage picture to the blocking to the casting to character development.
When I directed The Glass Menagerie at the Episcopal Actors Guild, I placed the audience on the stage and the actors in the room so it would be more like people interacting in their house. It worked beautifully and enhanced both the actors’ and audience’ experience.
Playing Kate Keller in All My Sons taught me, in a very personal way, the level of commitment required to play Miller’s truth. He draws on all your resources, makes you fire on all cylinders. Playing and directing a Miller play is an experience unique in the theatre, an exercise in often painful trust between you and the audience. I’m glad to be directing some fine actors in this uniquely challenging endeavor.
Are you excited to work with this cast?
More than I can say! When first imagining a cast for this production I made a list of actors I knew from my long time in theatre. I then went into auditions with an open mind and saw 80 actors. Many impressed me; some even caused me to rethink my idea about a character. In the end, several of my original list were cast because I realized my initial instincts were correct.
I am extremely proud of this cast as well as our understudies. They are an exemplary group new to most off-Broadway audiences. Their talent is unmistakable and sure to light up the stage of the legendary Theatre at St. Clements. They are Bill Barry (currently performing in Last Days of Judas Iscariot at The Heights Players) as Victor Franz, Janelle Farias-Sando as Esther, Cullen Wheeler as Walter Franz and Michael Durkin as Gregory Solomon. Our covers include Benjamin Russell, John Palaccio, Joe Bowen and Monica Lowy. It’s a cast Miller would approve. Don’t miss them!
How difficult is the off-Broadway space right now? Is it challenging to mount a show in this economic environment?
Our production of The Price is the brainchild of our young producers, Daniel Condon and Andrew Beregovoy, founders of D-Con Productions and the Village Theatre Group. We’re a new company, and The Price is our inaugural production for the theatre. In 2024, Dan’s film short The Line was featured in the Chelsea Film Festival.
The challenges of producing a play on or off-Broadway are enormous at the best of times, but this current economy makes it necessary to stretch one’s budget to the max. And every penny counts. We are fortunate to have the generous help of B&B Props in New Jersey and a resourceful creative team working to bring the environment, lighting, costumes and ambiance of The Price to life.
We have also been lucky in our relationship with Theatre at St. Clements and its artistic director, Dan Wackerman, to help us navigate these theatrical waters. The beauty of this charming and legendary theatre tucked into 46th Street between 9th and 10th avenues is part of the joy of producing The Price. I look forward very much to sharing this production with audiences.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Price, written by Arthur Miller and directed by Noelle McGrath, begins performances Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Theatre at St. Clements in Midtown Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
