With the holidays in full swing, many theatregoers are packing in their last few shows before the new year. On December 30, stage-and-screen actor Laurence Fishburne paid a visit Death of a Salesman on Broadway in its final two weeks before closing.
After the performance, he gave his congratulations to stars Wendell Pierce and Sharon D. Clarke, as well as the rest of the company. This was Fishburne's second time seeing the Miranda Cromwell-directed production, as he attended a performance during its Olivier-nominated run at the Young Vic in London.
Death of a Salesman runs on Broadway until January 15 at the Hudson Theatre. See photos of Laurence Fishburn visiting the Broadway company of Death of a Salesman below:
Laurence Fishburne with Death of a Salesman stars Wendell Pierce and Sharon D. Clarke
Laurence Fishburne with Wendell Pierce, Sharon D. Clarke, and the rest of the Broadway company of Death of a Salesman
Laurence Fishburne with McKinley Belcher III backstage at the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman
Laurence Fishburne with Khris Davis backstage at the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman
It was a positive end to the week for the show, which had some offstage drama recently as a disruptive patron halted an entire performance on December 27 and had to be escorted out by police. Videos of Pierce talking to the patron went viral on social media.
The Arthur Miller play follows a traveling salesman and his family who are caught up in the madness (and, oftentimes, impossibility) of the American Dream.
The current revival of Death of a Salesman is a transfer from the West End. Tony nominee Sharon D. Clarke and Wendell Pierce reprise their Olivier-nominated roles of Linda and Willy Loman, respectively, with Khris Davis as Biff, McKinley Belcher III as Happy, and Tony winner André De Shields as Ben with Blake DeLong as Howard/Stanley, Lynn Hawley as The Woman/Jenny, Grace Porter as Letta/Jazz Singer, Kevin Ramessar as Musician, Stephen Stocking as Bernard, Chelsea Lee Williams as Miss Forsythe, and Delaney Williams as Charley.
Miranda Cromwell directs with a creative team that includes Olivier winner and Tony-nominated scenic and co-costume designer Anna Fleischle, co-costume designer Sarita Fellows, Tony-nominated lighting designer Jen Schriever, Tony-nominated sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman, composer Femi Temowo, hair designer Nikiya Mathis, and music coordinator John Miller. Casting is by Erica A. Hart and Daniel Swee.
Upon its 1949 Broadway premiere in 1949, the show took home six Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Author of a Play. Miller's show has bene revived on Broadway four times; it was last seen on the Main Stem in a 2012 revival starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Linda Emond, Andrew Garfield, Finn Wittrock, and John Glover.
The producing team also includes Steven Chaikelson, Gavin Kalin, Hunter Arnold, Catherine Schreiber, Bob Boyett, Brian D. Kessler, Michael Watt, Eilene Davidson, Chuchu Nwagu Productions, David Mirvish, Playing Field, Tom Saporito, Triptyk Studios, Iris Smith, LD Entertainment, Salman Al-Rashid, Concord Theatricals, Lamar Richardson, JamRock Productions, Young Vic Young Ones, Jamie deRoy/James L. Simon, TackelRaven/Louise H. Beard, Ferguson Simons/Marjuan Canady, Al Nocciolino/Blumenthal Performing Arts, Phenomenal Media/Meena Harris, and The Young Vic.
