Reader Reviews
Death of a Salesman (Lyric Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | i don't think this is the greatest play of all time but i do thin that you cannot fault the performances of BrianDennehy & Claire Higginson. Anyone who misses it will regret it in the future. If you have ever had a relative with a severe problem such as Alzheimers then evry movement that Dennehy makes is enough to break your heart- look past the volume & feel the flutters - 62.252.64.30) | 01 Nov 05 |
| Wow. Brian Dennehy and Clare Higgins are among the best actors we have, what shattering performances. A hearbreaking play, and a production that could not, in my opinion, be bettered. See it if you possibly can. - 86.137.51.182) | 14 Oct 05 |
| Robert Falls's staging of Death of a Salesman is by far the finest thing I've seen on stage this year. I was shattered by the play, mesmerised by the production and dazzled by the acting throughout. The performances of Brian Dennehy, Claire Higgins and Douglas Henshall should leave the competition standing when awards season comes around: the intensity and depth of their performances will stay with me forever. I must also single out Howard Witt, who imbued Charley - so often a throwaway role in this virtuoso play - with so much humanity and complexity. Mark Wendland's design is another star turn: unshowy, unfussy yet ingeniously and aesthetically thrilling. Finally, I must salute the sheer profesionalism of the cast. After 3h10 of the matinée I saw, they were due back on less than two hours later to do it all again. But there wasn't an understudy in sight - bravos all round! - 82.34.195.121) | 11 Sep 05 |
| The much acclaimed writer Arthur Miller born in New York City in 1915 sadly passed away earlier this year at the age of 89. His most noted work Death of a salesman has returned to the London stage with awesome results. The story concerns an ageing salesman Willy Loman, a man who has spent all his life as a respected travelling salesman. His un-thoughtful boss pressures Willy to keep going on regardless, Willy feels he his losing his sense of purpose and his world and mind starts to fall apart... Death of a salesman has received much praise over the years, none will match this production which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the play when it opened on Broadway in February 1999, it won five Tony Awards including ‘Best Revival’, ‘Best Direction’ for Robert Falls and ‘Best Actor’ for Brian Dennehy. The entire Broadway creative team has brought this spellbinding, captivating production to life on the London stage! The play opens with the return of Willy Loman at his front door, from this moment on we enter his world, you are gripped for a 3 hour performance which leaves you breathless. Brian Dennehy gives a remarkable, moving and sensational performance which should not be missed at any cost! He is Willy Loman living the role to extraordinary highs and lows of one man’s struggle in a cut throat world. Playing the role of 'Linda' his wife, who is worried out of her mind but still supports him and believes in him, is our very own Claire Higgins. I can sum up Claire Higgins performance as Linda Loman in one word 'Excellent'. She powerfully portrays the character and simply gives a superb and wonderfully moving and heart rendering performance. This of course perfectly compliments Brian Dennehy's performance. The rest of the cast is a complete joy to watch including Douglas Henshall as 'Biff Loman', the boy who succeeds but then in later life totally makes a mess of things, and Mark Bazeley who plays 'Happy Loman', the womanising layabout, is just so good and compliments his brother 'Biff' perfectly. There are fantastic performances from Jonathan Aris as ‘Bernard’, Howard Witt as 'Charley' and Allen Hamilton as 'Uncle Ben' they are great!< p> The set design is incredible, gently transporting us from the Loman's house and yard, and various places in New York and Boston. As for the direction, well I think Robert Fall's West End production will be heading for and carrying off another set of awards! Robert Falls has captured the essence of Arthur Miller's classic play and given it a spellbinding and enthralling lease of life! Willy Loman is living the ‘American Dream’, Brian Dennehy heads a dream cast, but we don't have to dream, simply call the box office and order your tickets! I don't want to sound like a 'salesman' but don't miss this at any cost! Gary Mack - 195.93.21.101) | 10 Sep 05 |
| I HAVE TWO BOYS OF MY OWN AND WAS ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT READY TO SCREAM OUT WHAT I THINK HIS (BRIAN DENNEHY) NEXT MOVE SHOULD BE!! A TRULY MARVELLOUS PIECE OF WORK BY ALL CONCERNED. - 82.44.152.26) | 31 Aug 05 |
| Don't bother reading reviews, just go and see it NOW! In particular ignore the whining, moronic and bitter negative reviews below... - 86.136.135.133) | 29 Aug 05 |
| I'm so glad someone else didn't enjoy this! I couldn't pinpoint anything wrong with the production, hence two stars rather than 1, but I cannot remember the last time I was so bored in a theatre. Whether this was due to the writing or the interpretation I don't know, but I could have happily left at the interval. The second half was more engaging, but I was still wishing Loman would hurry up and kill himself so we could go home. - 62.140.211.123) | 25 Jul 05 |
| To the person below who gave to stars. By judging by everyone else's comments and the rave reviews in the press i come to the conclusion that your an idiot! - 195.93.21.101) | 18 Jul 05 |
| Come on, let's admit the bitter truth. Death of a Salesman is the worst play ever to have been considered a masterpiece. Miller simply can't write - his dialogue is colourless, his wit non-existent, his structure incompetent and his insights banal. We know the characters are failures as soon as they come on stage, and we have to go round and round repeating the bleeding obvious for well over THREE HOURS. Add to this the funereal pace of this overly reverential production, and the unadmitted secret has to be admitted: this is an awful play. The only reason I give it more than 1 star is the fantastic performance of Claire Higgins. Otherwise, this is one of the great fraud-jobs of 20th century drama. Miller simply could not write. - 86.132.117.96) | 16 Jul 05 |
| Quite the best production I have seen of anything frankly - it took my breath away. The play is wonderful and these actors give it their all. - 217.42.193.38) | 27 Jun 05 |
| Best Performance I've ever seen on stage in my life! (Biff, take care of your voice!) Thanks to all at the Lyric! - 62.246.11.93) | 23 Jun 05 |
| Extraordinary how such a thoroughly depressing (but brilliantly written) play can prove to be such an uplifting theatrical experience when it is presented as well as it is here. Robert Falls's staging doesn't put a foot wrong and neither does a well-night perfect cast, led magnificently by Brian Dennehy. With powerful performances from everyone on stage it seems invidious to single anyone out but Clare Higgins's Linda is an extraordinary achievement, even by her standards. Should be on the "must-see" list of everyone who cares about theatre. - 195.82.123.181) | 31 May 05 |
| Ok, this cast are amazing, every single one of them. My only gripe is it seemed to drag a bit early on, but the last 30 mins or so are worth the ticket price alone. Not the best play ive seen, but one of the best casts! - 81.131.228.71) | 22 May 05 |
| The best piece of pure theatre I have ever seen. Moving in every sense of the word. A MUST SEE ***** - 195.93.21.101) | 22 May 05 |
| Absolutely stunning. My only disappointment was that the reviewers in the papers didn't make more of a fuss of Clare Higgins - to my mind, hers was the stand-out performance of the evening. However, there isn't a weak performance in there, even the tiny parts are really well-played and it's an incredibly moving piece of theatre. - 80.46.145.244) | 19 May 05 |
| Absolutely brilliant! One of the best productions I have seen in 40 years of theatre going. They are all wonderful but Dennehy gives a performance you will never forget. Words like "Great", "Superb" and "Brilliant" don'd do it justice. It is a performance that will be talked about for generations. - 209.7.28.194) | 17 May 05 |
| A stunning production of a masterpiece. Brian Denehy is superb, but so are Clare Higgins, Douglas Henshall and, come to think of it, the rest of the cast. The second half is so perfect you completely forget you are in a theatre. The emotional charge is devastating. There were lots of school children there when I went, clearly studying the play for their 'A'levels in a few weeks - they are so lucky to witness something this good. A*'s all round ! - 62.49.81.18) | 17 May 05 |
| Best play and performances I've seen in the West End for many years - get tickets if you can. - 212.100.250.219) | 17 May 05 |
| Awesome and compelling performances of the greatest American Tragedy. Sparse, dark and resonant this family drama has never felt more real or close to home. Dennehey is a colossus raging at the society that has devoured him! - 62.253.219.130) | 17 May 05 |
| An outstanding production. The most moving and true to text production I have ever experienced. My A Level students were mesmerised - 194.83.57.154) | 16 May 05 |
| 3 words - DEATH OF A SALESMAN. add 2 more words - BRIAN DENNEHY. This is the most fantastic piece of on stage drama I have ever seen! Get your tickets now! - 195.93.21.101) | 13 May 05 |
