The Price

Arthur Miller is a master of the 20th century tragedy, and The Price proves no exception to this rule. With the rich rhythmic language of Miller’s 1950s New Yorkers setting the steady pace for this fatalistic runaway train, you can see the crash approaching and can’t help but invest in each character further the closer the explosion appears.

The cast were excellent: Andy Bell’s last honest man in cop Victor Franz, clinging to his mirage of a memory of events valiantly; Janice Jones as Victor’s ambitious wife Esther, brittle in her frustrations for them both; and Des Potton as Victor’s long-estranged and more financially successful brother Walter, a softened and slightly vulnerable version of an almost monster memory.Lighting up the stage throughout with a magnetic performance was Jerry Lyne as the appraiser Solomon, whose vital energy highlighted all the more that this 89-year-old furniture man held the most vivacious life of them all.

A special note must be made for Dan Walker’s lighting, bringing a literal, if ghostly, presence to the shadows of the past.

A feast of a performance, gorgeously executed and directed by Rod Lewis, this was an evening well spent, a heavy satisfaction delivered.

New Venture Theatre, 12 November 2012

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