Family dynamics? Is there a better subject for a great playwright to attack? "Attack" has always been the operative verb for Arthur Miller's approach to it, and "The Price" is a good example of what he can do. The current offering at The New Jewish Theatre is a carefully crafted piece of work slowly (almost too much so at first) rising to the inevitable explosion.
Two estranged brothers need to sell the furniture left after their father dies. The police sargeant son has found a used furniture dealer and meets him in the attic-like room. But where is the other brother, the doctor? And why is the policeman's wife feeling such urgency about this day?
How hard it is in life to find the truth, says Miller. And will we recognize it if we see it? Can we recognize it or has it changed since we last saw it? Is it unrecognizable, incomprehensible, after all these years and all these emotions - both known and unknown?
What we get is a fine piece of ensemble work. Director Bruce Longworth brings together Michael James Reed as Victor, the policeman, beaten down from years of doing the right thing, Jerry Vogel as the impeccable, elegant physician, Kelly Weber, the wife who is just not happy, and the irrepressible Bobby Miller playing Mr. Solomon, the aged furniture dealer.
The subtlety of Reed, who reveals his soul-deep exhaustion so gradually we at first don't know it exists, is remarkable. (It's also an interesting picture of how much our perceptions of policemen have changed – the play opened in 1968 so presumably was written before the tumult of that year.) Vogel's character appears late in the first act, seemingly as smooth as the expensive suit he wears. Is he the villain? We never quite know for sure, Miller makes us so unsure of the truth, but Vogel lets peeks of pain slide out – via body language as well as the dialogue.
As the wife, Weber in some ways has a harder job – Miller's women characters often seem to merit less of his attention – but shows the struggles she's had for the last decades. And then there's Mr. Solomon, and the name seems to be a deliberate choice. Bobby Miller wobbles across the stage and despite his extremely thick accent gives us the few laugh lines Miller handed out. The cirrocumulus cloud of his hair, which Michael Sullivan's lighting just loves, adds to the drama. He's a key component of Victor's growing self-awareness.
It would be easy to say this is one of the rare examples where the second act of a play is better than the first, but it turns out that Miller really would have preferred this all be done in a single uninterrupted piece. The second act is remarkable, though, a chance for the brothers to try to actually talk for the first time in many years, and a chance for the audience to sit back and listen to major Miller dialogue. It's like listening to a Dave Brubeck recording – don't wonder where he's going, just enjoy the trip.
This pretty much falls into the "don't miss" category, so get a move on.
The Price
through April 6
The New Jewish Theatre
2 Millstone Campus Drive
314-442-3175