Death of a Salesman - an uplifting tragedy

 "Death of a Salesman" at French Creek Theater opens tonight (Friday, January 13).

Let me address some things point by point:

I’m in it. I play Charley, Willie’s next door neighbor. While I’d love to have you come to see ME in this play, I don’t have a lot of stage time. But, that’s OK. The rest of the cast is phenomenal. So, come and see me as part of this amazing ensemble performing a true American classic. And, it’s directed by Fred Sternfeld, so how wrong could you go? (You can’t, in case you were wondering.) And, I shaved my beard for the role.

Is it far away? I don’t know where you live. It’s about a 40 minute drive (in good traffic) from my house to the theater. (It takes me about an hour from work.) It’s in Avon, Ohio in Lorain County. If you live in Beachwood, it’ll take you about 50 minutes. If you live in Avon…well, you get the picture. Is it worth it? I hope so. I made the drive often for the last six weeks or so, and it was worth it for me. It’s really a privilege to be a part of this production.

I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that this story doesn’t end well. I mean, even if you’ve never heard of it before now, you may be able to glean that from the title. So, with everything that may be making you miserable in the world or in your life, why would you want to see THIS play right now? Because, it’s good theater. And good theater is good theater. (That clears it up now, doesn’t it?) It’s not just a play about struggle and sadness. There are, as there are in life, moments of great humor and warmth and, most of all, love. To see a piece of live theater and to be transported to another time and place, and to laugh and cry and feel real emotion and make real connections with the characters on the stage, is magical and transformative.
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And I shaved my beard.