HAWAII PACIFIC UNIVERSITY Sylvia Hormann-Alper and Don Pomes portray Linda and Willy Loman in Hawaii Pacific University Theatre's production of "Death of a Salesman."

Tale of ‘Salesman’ shines
in hands of HPU ensemble

Review by John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

Dark, grim, depressing and as riveting as watching a flaming multicar pile-up in slow motion, Arthur Miller's modern American tragedy "Death of a Salesman" is of a specific time yet is also timeless. The time and place is greater New York shortly after the end of World War II, but is there a theater fan who can't relate to the horror of knowing that you are past your prime and sliding into failure and oblivion?

That's the fate of Miller's titular protagonist, 63-year-old salesman Willy Loman.

"Death of a Salesman" Presented at Hawaii Pacific University Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 4 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 8 (except Thanksgiving Day). Tickets $14; $10 for seniors, military, students. Call 735-1282.

Veteran actor Don Pomes stars in director Joyce Maltby's fall staging at Hawaii Pacific University, and he does a excellent job. Pomes and Maltby make Willy's dilemma clear while also gradually revealing the character flaws that may have helped bring him to his tenuous position. What's a man to do when he's worth more dead than alive?

We empathize, and we dread the thought of ever finding ourselves in such a situation, but Pomes and Maltby make sure we don't overly sympathize with the proud, prickly, quietly terrified character.

The aging salesman must spend long days on the road working a territory that no longer produces enough to make ends meet. Buyers who used to laugh at his jokes and place orders have been replaced by younger men who do neither. The promises made -- or implied -- by "old man Wagner" who hired him 36 years ago aren't being honored now by Wagner's son. The home in Brooklyn that once seemed like a castle is now engulfed by apartment buildings, and it seems that everything needs expensive repairs.

As if that's not bad enough, he's been forced to work on straight commission!

Willy's wife, Linda (Sylvia Hormann-Alper), is understanding. He's estranged from his first son, Biff (Scot Davis), a 32-year-old drifter. Younger son Happy (Joshua Gulledge) lives to chase women -- a "playa" in contemporary lingo. Happy isn't as big a success as he pretends to be and is not close to his father, either.

Willy finds himself contemplating the example set by his deceased older brother, Ben (Brad Powell), a self-made millionaire at 21 who never stopped seeking new opportunities. Ben appears in Willy's thoughts as he sorts through his missed opportunities. And Willy's nephew, Bernard (Chris Veatch), who lived in Biff's shadow through high school, has made something of his life and is a successful attorney.

The ensemble meshes beautifully throughout this demanding, complicated show despite varying levels of stage experience (Pomes, Powell and Hormann-Alper are old pros; this is Gulledge's first college theater production). A scene in which Happy demonstrates his finesse at picking up women adds a welcome bit of dark comedy, but the actors do justice to Miller's precisely crafted script in the darker scenes as well.

HPU regular Hank Chapin returns as Willy's long-suffering neighbor, and Russell Motter adds another compelling performance, as Willy's boss Howard Wagner, to the growing list of nasty types he's played. The interplay between Motter and Pomes jells into chilling snapshots of Willy's plight, illustrating the chasm that separates him from the material world of his dreams.

Wagner speaks matter-of-factly of having "the maid" record popular radio shows on a new state-of-the-art wire recorder -- "They only cost $150" -- while Willy is begging for a weekly guarantee of less than half that amount.

Willy's downward spiral makes his bursts of optimism, and those of his sons as they haltingly try to connect with him, all the more poignant.

Although the major roles in this production are played by veteran actors recruited off-campus, several students appear in secondary roles. Erin Bender sparkles as a ditzy woman named Letta and appears destined for bigger roles in the future. Danielle Bishaw (Jenny), Mapuana Makia (Miss Forsythe) and Nick Quinlivan (Stanley the waiter) also represent the HPU theater program to good effect.

And at a time when many directors feel the need to tamper with playwrights' work, Maltby is to be commended for leaving Miller's late-1940s dialogue and cultural references intact.

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