Death of a Salesman at Liverpool Everyman
Tom Grieve, Contributing WriterBook now
Death of a Salesman
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
Get ready for a fresh take on an American classic from Olivier-nominated director Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu at the Liverpool Everyman this autumn. Breathing new life into Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, the British-Ghanaian theatremaker draws parallels between 1940s Brooklyn and contemporary Liverpool with an ambitious new production of a timeless play.
Taking on the role of traveling salesman Willy Loman is Cyril Nri (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story) who stars as a model immigrant who has worked hard in pursuit of the American dream. But with a wife at breaking point and two sons who do not wish to follow in his footsteps, Willy begins to lose himself in memories, dreams and reminiscences as the failures of the past meet a future that is not as promised.
Joining Nri’s Loman are Tayo Aluko (Call Mr. Robeson; Liverpool Everyman) as Uncle Ben, plus Adelaide Banks (The Woman), plus Emma Cater (Linda), Kiren Kebaili-Dwyer (Happy), Noah Olaoye (Bernard / Howard Wagner), Joe Speare (Charley / Stanley), and Lawrence Ubong Williams (Biff).
Seen today, on the other side of the Atlantic, some 70-plus years since its debut, Death of a Salesman might be associated with the limits of the American dream, but Fynn-Aiduenu explains the play’s universal resonance: “Willy is a migrant and, like many migrants, is sold a dream, whether that be American or in the UK. You can make your mark, stake your claim – but the dream doesn’t always become reality, and there can be repercussions.”
He also stresses the value in bringing Death of a Salesman to the Everyman specifically: “Liverpool, like Brooklyn (where the play is set), is rich in Irish and Nigerian heritage and in mixed-race populations. It’s important to me that this production is being performed in Liverpool, engaging with local audiences, and exploring what blackness and the migrant experience is across the UK.”
Miller compared his text to Greek tragedy and so it’s no surprise to see its timeless themes still resonate so strongly with contemporary theatremakers. Audiences can see the results of Fynn-Aiduenu fresh, bold reimagining from September this year.
