CityLife

The Price

The Price
Bolton Octagon
March 11, 2011

The Price is rarely performed in this country and few theatregoers will be familiar with the plot.

But anyone who has seen Miller’s more famous Death Of A Salesman and All My Sons will recognise some familiar themes.

A tense domestic drama, The Price is set in the cluttered attic of a condemned New York house.

As a man rifles through his dead father’s possessions, he reflects on his failed hopes and dreams. Police officer Victor (Tom Mannion) dreamed of becoming a scientist, but dropped out of college to care for his ailing dad.

During fraught conversations with nagging wife Esther, it transpires he holds a grudge against his brother Walter (Colin Stinton), a doctor he hasn’t seen for 16 years.

When Walter turns up unexpectedly, they’re forced to address why they fell out and some painful revelations are made. Did life deal Victor a bad hand, or could he have improved his lot by making different choices?

Like eternal optimist Willy Loman, the hapless main character in Death of a Salesman, Victor Franz is proud – perhaps too much so. He’s more immediately likeable than Loman, though, and Mannion’s portrayal of him is sensitive and moving.

Kenneth Alan Taylor was a delight as antique dealer Gregory Solomon, adding some much-needed humour to what could have been a depressing affair. Suzan Sylvester grated slightly as Victor’s Esther, although that may have been intentional.

At more than two hours long, The Price isn’t the liveliest production, but it’s worth persevering though the slow-burning first half. Some of the audience roared with laughter, others stayed solemn ­– perhaps those prone to navel gazing found it touched a raw nerve.

As the name suggests, it contrasts the superficial value of material possessions with the human sacrifice needed to acquire them. A subtle critique of the American Dream, it creeps up on the viewer, shattering in true Miller fashion with a gut wrenching climax. 

Until April 2, 2011.

Tweet