Some may say that Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman” may be the greatest play of the 20^th century and there is evidence that supports that claim. It premiered on Broadway in 1949, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the TONY Award for Best Play. The sixth Broadway revival is now playing at The Winter Garden starring Nathan Lane as Willy Loman, Laurie Metcalf as his wife Linda, Christopher Abbott as his son Biff, and also features Ben Ahlers as his son Happy. This latest incarnation is directed by Joe Mantello. Set in the 1940s the plot follows protagonist Willy Loman, an insecure traveling salesman, who is deluded and disappointed with his life, and seems to be experiencing periodic episodes which indicate signs of senility. He is facing his demons of infidelity and denial while also experiencing the decay of the American Dream, which all contribute to his self-destruction. It is just as relevant today, maybe even more so, as it was when written. It ranks among the top timeless pieces of literature.

Willy (a lugubrious Nathan Lane) was once a top salesman traveling the northeast, but times have changed, and most sales are done by phone at the New York office, shrinking his commission salary to an amount that will not even cover the bills. He struggles with the present but lives in the past. He is married to Linda (a devoted Laurie Metcalf), who bows to Willy’s ego but never falls prey to his convictions. Ms. Metcalf exhibits a wise undercurrent shadowed by waves of melancholy and walks a fine line between denial and perseverance. Their son Happy (an exuberant Ben Ahlers) is a mere assistant to an assistant but acts like he owns the company, recklessly spending money garnered by some shady bribes at work. Eldest son Biff (a bemused Christopher Abbott), an ex-football star who could not take advantage of a scholarship because he flunked Math, has drifted out west to avoid the animosity he feels towards his father and the disintegration of his family. He is burdened by the dark secret of his father’s infidelity that he keeps well hidden. All these characters are still desperately trying to live in the present, while trying to dispose of the shards of shattered dreams from the past.

When confronting his boss, asking to be taken off the road and put into the New York office, his request is denied and he is reminded that he is now worth nothing to the company, regardless of his years of service. Willy is fired and offered a job by his neighbor Charley which he flatly refuses because of his pride. Finally defeated, Willy decides there is only one way out of the situation and commits suicide, hoping the money from his insurance will pay overdue bills and help Biff start a business, which ultimately becomes his final disillusion, as Biff decides to move back west after the funeral.

This current production has the difficulty of having previous productions lurking in the minds of savvy theatregoers. Mr. Mantello has certainly imagined a different staging with minimal props and set pieces, relying on a table, a couple of benches and chairs, and a car that drives in through an upstage garage door onto a dirt floor. He has also made the decision to use two different actors for the younger version of Biff and Happy, which does nothing to serve the production. Scenic designer Chloe Lamford has created a cavernous space punctuated by four huge tile and concrete columns that tower over the stage, creating the perimeter of an enclosed and intimate space where most of the action takes place. Perhaps these massive structures represent the future closing in and dominating the lives of these four individuals. They may also indicate the construction of high-rise buildings being erected around their house blocking the light and leaving them in the metaphorical dark. Adding to this interpretation is the lighting design by Jack Knowles, as illuminating shafts of light stream through windows of the past and menacing shadows emerge from dark corners, creeping into the present.

This is by far not the best revival, but is certainly worth seeing, just for the words spoken by this devasting family that is torn apart by self-destruction. Mr. Miller’s script seems to be even more relevant now than it was over seventy-five years ago, with technology replacing human interaction, and greed displacing loyalty. It is an examination of the human spirit in the face of defeat and survival, perhaps finding it easier to live in the past rather than dream of a future. In the last scene that takes place at the graveside, Linda utters the words “we’re free”. Perhaps she is not only free from the 25-year mortgage that has seen its final payment, but she realizes the family has been freed from the lies and deceit of a tyrant, as she finally witnesses “The Death of a Salesman.”