Steadstyle Chicago
	October 2009 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	Death of a Salesman A salesman's life is filled with dreams of the big deal.  Buyers who love you and will always see you.  The American Dream, that is what Arthur Miller's classic play "Death Of A Salesman" is all about.  Willy Loman is Miller's "everyman," a traveling salesman getting up in years who has been chasing the dream for years and has hit a brick wall.  His job has changed.  He is now on commission only and all of his contacts are long gone.  He has two sons who he always felt would reach the goals that he did not attain.  In particular, his eldest, Biff was a great athlete in high school.  What happens to this family during the 2 1/2 hour production now on stage at The Raven Theatre as it enters its 25th season is this family facing the reality of who they are, where they have been and what their futures will be. Under the skillful direction of Michael Menedian on a fantastic set designed by Andrei Onegin, we the audience are presented with a masterpiece and all the feeling that Miller put in his original manuscript.  I have been involved with sales for over 30 years myself, and I have known many Willy Lomans over these decades.  Every salesman has a bit of Willy inside him, always thinking that the next sale will be the big one that will lead them forward.  When it doesn't happen, they take no blame.  It was the fault of the buyer, or his partner was not ready to close the deal.  In Willy Loman's world the dream never comes and his sons are not what they were expected to be.  In fact, the only member of the family that lives in the real world is Linda, his wife whose love is so great for Willy that she will do almost anything to protect him from the truth of what their lives have become.   JoAnn Montemurro delivers a wonderful understated performance of this role.  Willy is played by Chuck Spencer, who truly has this role down.  He is the perfect Willy Loman as Miller takes us into the past during a 24 hour period, and we see Willy realize that his world is not what it should or could have been.  Did he really have the opportunities he remembers?  Did his son, Biff (a solid performance by Jason Huysman) really have the potential to be a star athlete?  Miller takes us on this journey, where Willy realizes that it is not who you know and how much you are liked that makes people buy from you.  It is what you know, your education and hard work that allows one to become financial secure.  This play was written in 1949, 60 years ago and is just as real in today's world as it was then.  These are life's principles and this play reinforces this perfectly.  Spencer is brilliant and his performance is one not to be missed! While this play derives its power from a strong Willy and this production has one of the strongest, it is of great importance that each of the players, no matter the size of the role perform to the excellence of this character.  If not, the play doesn't work.  This cast is amazing in every detail.  Brother Happy, the carefree younger Loman lives in the same type of world as Willy.  After all, this was his upbringing and Greg Caldwell handles this role with ease.  Kevin Hope deftly handles Bernard along with a few supporting roles.  Bernard is the neighbor cousin who was the nerd in the days when Biff was the hero, and is now a powerful attorney, proving that Miller was right.  His equally successful father Charlie is handled by Ron Quade.  Ben (Jerry Bloom) is Willy's brother from his past, who supposedly went to Africa and became rich.  Willy sees his ghost many times throughout the play.  The other supporting roles are played by Alexis Atwill, Devon Candura, Susie Griffith and Anthony Tournis.  Each handles their role with the quality that makes this production so solid. Every detail has been carefully examined and brought to the production, including the Fight Choreography by David Woolley, Lighting by Amy Lee, an original score by Leif Olsen that truly adds to the mood that has been created by Menendian, Sound and video by Mike Tutaj and props by Mary O'Dowd.  One can see the heart and soul of each of the tech people as well as the actors in bringing this production to the viewing audience.  They are all to be commended for putting before us a piece of art.  Miller's painting brought to life as the exploration of the dream of a salesman! "Death of A salesman" will continue through January 16, 2010 at The Raven Theatre located at  6157 N. Clark Street at Granville.  Pperformances are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m.  Tickets are only $25 or $30, depending on the day of the week.  I say only, because this production is a steal at this price.  Sounds a little like a sales pitch?  But wait, there is more.  Students and Seniors get $5 off.  To order tickets call 773-338-2177 or visit www.raventheatre.com.  You want more, there is some free parking next door and some free street parking as well as the new meters on the street.  If you are in sales, you need to see this production.  If you have family members in sales, again, see this production.  If you have no friends or family, see it alone.  Just see it!  Don't let this experience pass you by.   About Alan Bresloff Alan Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra Newspaper and The Epoch Times.  He also writes for ElImparcial and TeleGuia.  His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.  Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a "reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical and more.  "Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad.  Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen.  You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.