Writers' multilayered 'Wife of a Salesman' earns its keep with excellent world premiere
“Wife of a Salesman” - ★ ★ ★ ★
Watching the world premiere of “Wife of a Salesman” at Writers Theatre, audience members may think to themselves, “I know this story.”
They'd be wrong. Eleanor Burgess' play - an intriguing companion of sorts to Arthur Miller's masterful “Death of a Salesman” - imagines Linda, the wife of Willy Loman, confronting his mistress about the affair. It's a familiar subject (infidelity having existed as long as matrimony) taken up by familiar characters: the middle-aged wife and mother with her tidy coiffure and sensible shoes and the younger, other woman with her riotous curls and slippers.
But Burgess' shrewd, multilayered play is about more than the madonna and the whore “duking it out,” as one character puts it. There's a lot to unpack about marriage and motherhood, ambition and sacrifice, sexism and patriarchy in this provocative play, whose deliciously unexpected, artfully executed twist will remain unspoiled here.
As for Willy, the middle-aged man ill-suited for the American dream he pursues, he never appears. Still, his presence is felt as the play unfolds in the 1950s in the decidedly feminine studio apartment where The Mistress (Amanda Drinkall) resides.
Decorated in pink and purple florals with an efficiency kitchen and a single chaise lounge, designer Courtney O'Neill's set is perky but temporary, as if the woman who resides there is merely passing through. That explains her disinterest in cleaning spilled nail polish or a broken tchotchke.
The Mistress, dressed in silky pajamas, doesn't much care about the apartment or what's in it. Contrast her with The Wife (Kate Fry, sporting a nondescript brown, wool suit) who cares very much about her home and the people who inhabit it.
Much of their exchange centers on who is entitled to the titular salesman. The Wife is determined to preserve her marriage and family. The Mistress, a self-described “fun girl,” is determined to enjoy some excitement while she can, and if it comes from a married man, so be it.
Besides trading insults, their interaction consists of attempts to manipulate each other into giving Willy up by painting a rosy picture of life without him. Although both are savvy enough to know that in the 1950s, life without a man is really no life at all. That said, there are moments where their conflict gives way to a connection: two women constrained by their gender, not entirely happy, but reluctant to upend the lives they know.
Underscoring their conversations are voices from the radio played by Karmann Bajuyo, Dekyi Rongé and Rom Barkhordar (who makes for a dubious ally), whose commercials provide a poignant counterpoint to the action.
Canny and well-matched, both characters are more complex than they initially appear, which is especially evident “post-twist” when the play delves more deeply into the women behind The Wife and The Mistress to reflect the challenges women faced during Miller's era and the challenges they face today.
At about 100 intermission-less minutes, director Jo Bonney's swift, assured production flies by powered by Fry and Drinkall, excellent actors whose affinity for nuance is almost unmatched. For anyone who appreciates quality acting, it's evident through April 3 on Writers' stage.
As for the play, I would argue that Burgess' “Wife of a Salesman” is to Miller's “Death of a Salesman” what Bruce Norris' 2010 play “Clybourne Park” was to Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 masterwork “A Raisin in the Sun.” Inspired by seminal 20th-century dramas, they amplify the themes of those earlier plays. Like Willy, The Mistress and The Wife are chasing (or hanging onto) lives that no longer suit them, if they ever did.
Moreover, the crafty playwright anticipated comparisons between her “Wife” and Miller's “Death” and heads them off with a wry bit of dialogue that reminds audiences that “Wife of a Salesman” is not about Willy or Miller. It's about the women, whose story you only think you know.
Location: Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, (847) 242-6000, writerstheatre.org
Showtimes: 3 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday through April 3
Tickets: $35-$90
Running time: About 100 minutes, no intermission
Parking: Street parking available
Rating: For teens and older; contains mature subject matter
COVID-19 precautions: Proof of vaccination or negative test and masking required