The Price (play)

The Price is a 1968 play by Arthur Miller. It is about family dynamics, the price of furniture and the price of one's decisions. The play premiered on Broadway in 1968, and has been revived three times on Broadway. It was nominated for two 1968 Tony Awards.

Productions

The play opened on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre on February 7, 1968 where it played until the production moved to the 46th Street Theatre on November 18, 1968. The play closed on February 15, 1969 after 429 performances. The opening cast included Harold Gary as Gregory Solomon, Pat Hingle as Victor Franz, Kate Reid as Esther Franz, and Arthur Kennedy as Walter Franz.^[1]

The Price was nominated for two 1968 Tony Awards, for Best Play (Arthur Miller, writer; Robert Whitehead, producer) and Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson). The Price lost in the "Best Play" category to Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

Production history

The Price has been revived three times on Broadway since the original 1968 production (with one revival not yet open):

• Playhouse Theatre, June 19 to October 21, 1979, 144 performances, directed by John Stix^[2]
• Criterion Center Stage Right, June 10 to July 19, 1992, 46 performances; directed by John Tillinger; nominated for 1993 Tony Award, Best Revival^[3]
• Royale Theatre, November 15, 1999 to March 5, 2000, 128 performances; directed by James Naughton, nominated for the 2000 Tony Award, Best Revival of a Play and Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Revival of a Play^[4][5]
• American Airlines Theatre, February 16, 2017 to May 7, 2017.^[6]

Other major productions:

• ArtSpace at Crestwood Court, closed February 13, 2011
• Octagon Theatre, March 10 - April 2, 2011
• ACT Theatre, Seattle, Washington, May 30, 2014 to June 22, 2014^[7]
• Mark Taper Forum at the Center Theatre Group, February 11, 2015 to March 22, directed by Garry Hynes^[8]
• Artists Repertory Theatre, March 31, 2015 to April 26, 2015
• TimeLine Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, August 2015 to November 2015^[9]

Characters

• Victor Franz - A police sergeant, eligible for retirement and approaching his fiftieth birthday. The character is based on Irving Abrams, Miller's childhood friend, who attended Columbia University, had the highest IQ on the NYC police force, and became a photographer after his retirement. Abrams was also a superb tennis player.
• Esther Franz - Victor's wife, it is suggested that Esther may have a problem with drinking.
• Gregory Solomon - A wily Russian-Jewish antique dealer, nearly ninety years old.
• Walter Franz - Victor's brother, a successful doctor Victor hasn't spoken to in years.

Television adaptation

The Price was adapted for television, directed by Fielder Cook from a script by Miller, and broadcast as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame on the NBC network on February 3, 1971. David Burns played Mr. Solomon, Colleen Dewhurst played Mrs. Franz, George C. Scott played Victor Franz, and Barry Sullivan played Walter Franz. ^[10]

The production was nominated for four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Scott), Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Drama (Burns), Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama - A Single Program (Cook), and Outstanding Single Program - Drama or Comedy (David Susskind, producer). Scott and Cook won.

References

External links

• The Price at the Internet Broadway Database
• The Price at the Internet Movie Database
• Playbill from original Broadway production