Theater Reviews

Feb 23, 2007 - Reno Little Theater's presentation of Arthur Miller's "The Price" is not quite right

By By Jack Neal

Set in the attic of a decaying Manhattan brownstone filled with ghostly sheet-draped furniture, closets filled with old clothes, piles of books and an antique Victrola, Arthur Miller's "The Price" unravels the lives of three people carrying the bitter baggage of a lifetime.

The life of a fourth – an aging broker interested in buying a family's possessions – becomes entwined in the pathos of lives filled with more misunderstandings than salable possessions. Superficially, "The Price" is about the amount of money an antique dealer is willing to pay for a roomful of items. In reality, for the broker, it's about doing business with a son, a spouse and a brother, and doing business as a human being.

Each of Miller's four characters have paid a price to get where they are in life. As their stories unfold viewers are reminded how Americans struggle over the importance of money and materialism versus ideals and integrity – not to mention connecting and getting along with one another.

With four characters and one set it would seem "The Price" is the perfect play for a community theater company to tackle. But tackling an Arthur Miller play is deceptively difficult. Director Doug Mishler has done a superior job in bringing this difficult play to the kind of fruition for Reno Little Theater it's getting. The set is terrific. The players know their lines and have a grip on the personalities they're portraying.

What does not transpire, and must transpire if "The Price" is to be the profound theater it's intended to be, is the chemistry between actors to make the play's interplay of emotion work and touch the hearts of onlookers. What happens onstage in "The Price" is what happens in one way or another, to larger or smaller degrees, in all lives. A great play, greatly presented touches. Unfortunately, this great play is adequately presented but not presented with enough depth to touch the heart.

Jaime Dunbar is Victor, the older brother and near-retirement police officer. Dunbar is perfectly cast and brings considerable emotional range to his performance. Cathy Gabrielli is Esther, Victor's wife somewhat resentful of not having a more affluent lifestyle. Gabrielli is edgy about wanting her husband to conclude the sale of the family's decaying possessions for the best price. Gabrielli, too, brings considerable emotional range to her performance.

Zarchary L.J. Bortot is Walter, the younger brother who escaped family responsibilities decades ago to become a physician. Bortot justifies his departure as his choice and chance for a better life. While performing admirably, he is a bit too carefully coiffed and flamboyantly dressed to carry his wounds affectingly into battle with Victor and Esther. John Simpson is Solomon, the antique dealer. Simpson, too, is good, but not profoundly wise enough to make his portrayal the lynchpin performance "The Price" must have to succeed as profound drama.

Ultimately, Mishler's direction and attention to detail, as exceptional as both are, have not provided the rhythm that would make Miller's words dance, invigorating this riveting play into truly invigorating theater.

Reno Little Theater's "The Price" can be seen at the Hug High School Little Theater, at McCarran Boulevard and Sutro Street, Reno, Nevada, February 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 (2007) at 8 p.m. and February 11, 18, 25 (2007) at 2 p.m. For information go online at www.renolittletheater,org or call 775-329-0661.