Life at The Little Theatre column: 73 years of success for the play 'Death of a Salesman'

Howard and Willy - Death of a Salesman

By Jennifer Corcoran and Andrew Sloman

Last Friday we invited you to join in and join us, and we were delighted that so many of you attended the theatre. The evening was a great success and three tours of the theatre were completed and new members signed up.

We will be holding another one of these evenings in the spring, so keep checking our weekly updates and social media for details.

The cast of Death of a Salesman are working hard to put the finishing touches to this classic. The travelling salesman of the title is Willy Loman. He is 63-years-old and has returned from a failed trip, much to the concern of his wife Linda.

He looks back over his life and we gradually build up a picture of his hopes, dreams, fears and failures. He is worried about how his sons, Biff and Happy are faring. Biff had promise as a sportsman but appears to have peaked at seventeen. Happy may be happy, but is he true?

The Loman’s neighbour Charley appears to have been less concerned, yet his son Bernard enjoys personal and professional success. Linda encourages Willy to talk to his boss, Howard about cutting out the travel, but this conversation does not go as planned.

Willy also recalls a woman he met on the road, and has conversations with his absent brother, Ben.

Willy’s perspective fluctuates with his mood, offering the audience the opportunity to reflect. Are Willy’s concerns founded?  Did nature or nurture get him and his family to where they are now? Does Willy’s tendency to compare with others drive him, or drag him down? We may even reflect on our own choices and even what others might be going through.

The play premiered 73 years ago this week on February 10 1949. It was brilliantly received in the US and transferred to the UK in July 1949 before enjoying international success, and is considered an important piece of theatre.  The themes of family, and how success is measured translate and resonate.

We will be performing from February  18-26 so book your tickets today!

For SDC show tickets click here - or call 01704 530521 from 11am to 1pm/two hours before curtain up when there is a performance.

For more information about our season and the club visit our website here. For updates, pictures, trivia and competitions please can also follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

Get all the latest news, updates, things to do and more from Southport, Merseyside's dedicated InYourArea feed.