An American classic is coming to Albuquerque.
"Death of a Salesman," Arthur Miller's Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play, opens today at the Cell Theatre at 700 First Street N.W.
The play is produced by Fusion Theatre Co. and directed by Jacqueline Reid, Fusion's co-founder.
Reid said Fusion is the first professional theater company in New Mexico to stage "Death of a Salesman" and that this is possibly the first production of the show in the state.
She said the play is extremely relevant to the present day, especially in light of the economic crisis.
"It's a great honor to be telling this story at a time when so many people are going through this," Reid said. "We need objective reflection." She said audiences should learn compassion from viewing this production.
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"Death of a Salesman" is the story of Willy Loman, a man who felt the pressure to become a traveling salesman but could never quite get the grasp of it. Loman attempts suicide and alienates his family in his relentless pursuit of the American Dream.
"Death of a Salesman" explores the challenges and the darker side of this ambition, along with the immense frustration and disappointment that ensue when the dream is never fully realized.
"This economic crisis is the genesis causing us to question what our duty is as Americans to our country," Reid said. "There has been a morphing from freedom to live and work without government to pressure to become an overnight success."
Reid said this pressure comes from technology and the increasing gap between the poor and the wealthy.
She said "Death of a Salesman" poses the question, Are our wealth and substance defined by what we have or what we do?
"Death of a Salesman" is usually performed in large theaters. The Cell Theatre seats only 75 people, and the seats and the stage are close together.
"This affords the audience a beautiful intimacy not allowed in larger venues," Reid said.
Because of this, the scenes have to move faster than on other stages, and the cast and crew had to make creative, constructive adjustments. Reid said she wants audiences to be surprised by the outcome.
The line "attention must be paid" is repeated several times in the play, and Reid said this is true for the country's current situation, especially in an election year.
"It's not just about the individual life," she said. "There is no individual life. We're all part of a mosaic of humanity that we can't ignore any longer."
"Death of a Salesman" kicks off with an opening reception at 6:30 p.m. today. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. at the Cell Theatre.
Professional Equity actors Paul Blott, Bruce Holmes, Ross Kelly, Jeff Pierce and Laurie Thomas star in Fusion's production.
The show runs through Nov. 23. Excluding opening night, Thursday performances feature a $10.00 student deal with valid I.D.
"Death of a Salesman"
Thursday-Saturday, 7:30
Sundays, 2 p.m.
$25 general,
$20 students and seniors
For more info, call 766-9412
