Arthur Miller Dies

[CptColumbo]

One of the greatest American writers passed away at the age of 89.

One of the first Broadway shows I saw was the Crucible , with Liam Neeson. It was one of the greatest theatre experiences I've ever had. The Crucible and Death of a Salesman are those rarest of plays, timeless. While The Crucible was meant to reflect the MacCarthism of it's time, it has adapted on it's own to make us think about the way the Media controls our opinions today. Who hasn't known a dreamer like Willie Loman, men and women who have high ambitions yet never quite catch them.

IMO With the possible exceptions of Neil Simon and David Mamet, he was the greatest living American playwright.

 

[Cleopatra]

For me the plays of Arthur Miller were a revelation. I saw the first play of Miller when I was 10 years old, " A view from the Bridge" my parents always took us with them when they went to the theater( we had unlimited access to theatrical plays and books when we were kids but we weren't allowed to see movies and only a little TV).

Anyway. Until then I had seen plays of ancient greek drama and two plays of Ipsen. I was shocked. From that evening USA was recorded in my mind as the place where people speak the truth about their relationships without pretense and the truth is that while I was growing up and I was discovering Miller this is the impression I got each time.

What distinguishes the american theater (thanks to Arthur Miller) is that it's about true, common people that have to face every day life moral dilemmas unlike the heros of Shakespeare,Strindberg, Ipsen, or even Tchekhov that are always tad bigger than life. Many europeans consider Miller's plays very dark or gloomy or they believe that plays Mamet's sugarcoat little , insignificant scums and give to the minor the role of the major.

I believe that those who believe so are very much influenced by the classical tradition and maybe they haven't seen Miller's ( or mamet's) plays on stage but they have read them.

Miller's plays are SO theatrical that they cannot be understood if read( unlike the plays of the europeans) and from that point of view they can teach you to love theater and above all to LEARN how to see theater.

I believe that I was charmed by theater the evening I saw Miller's play, my first real theatrical play. Then I discovered Neil Saimon and relatively recently, David Mamet.

Too bad that I don't have the chance to see as much american theater as I want.