Before touring the U.S. in 2000, the Brian Dennehy-Robert Falls revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman will most likely hit Europe. So said director Falls backstage at the Tony ceremony, after the Goodman Theatre artistic director had won an award for his work on Salesman. Falls said producers in London (at the Old Vic), Paris and Dublin has shown interest in the production and that any tour of the U.S. would be preceded by a stop in Europe. The original cast will star in the European and American productions, said Falls.
The acclaimed revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, which won a Tony for best revival of a play, is now playing an open run at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre. Producer David Richenthal told Playbill On-Line in April that he was examining the possibility of a national tour, starring Dennehy and much of the Broadway cast.
Should such a tour come to pass, the Broadway production would be re- cast, though Richenthal would not comment of possible replacements for Dennehy and Elizabeth Franz, who play Willy and Linda Loman.
The revival has also received an invitation to visit China. Richenthal said nothing was definite at this time. Any trans-Atlantic transfer, however, would have to be approved by U.S. and British Equity, the actors unions which control the comings and going of American and UK performers.
The Dennehy-Falls mounting is the first major Broadway revival of Miller's classic in over a decade. It began life at Chicago's Goodman Theater, where Falls is artistic director, and began previews on Broadway Jan. 22. The show opened Feb. 10, fifty years to the day since the original production of Salesman bowed on Broadway. Along with stars Dennehy, Franz and Kevin Anderson (Biff Loman), the show features Ted Koch as Happy Loman, Howard Witt as Charley, and Chelsea Altman, Kate Buddeke, Barbara eda Young, Allen Hamilton, Kent Klineman, Stephanie March, Steve Pickering and Richard Thompson.
Dennehy is the veteran of many films, including "First Blood" and "Cocoon," as well as stage productions of Galileo and The Iceman Cometh . Franz recently appeared Off-Broadway in the Atlantic Theatre Company's production of Miles from the Blue Route .
Death of a Salesman , directed by Robert Falls, played an acclaimed run earlier this year at Chicago's Goodman Theatre before being picked up for a Broadway visit. Falls was recently plucked to restage Disney's troubled new musical, Aida (previously titled "Elaborate Lives").
For information on Death of a Salesman, call (212) 239-6200.
