DEATH OF A SALESMAN - The Colony Theatre in Burbank

DEATH OF A SALESMAN - The Colony Theatre in Burbank

Reviewed by Amalisha HuEck

We all have a dream. Most of us want to be successful and liked by others. How does Willy Loman (Joe Cortese), the main protagonist in Death of a Salesman' deal with his dream, his reality of success and his image as a father, businessman, a friend?

The play takes place in 1949 Brooklyn. This exuberating, down to earth classic by legendary playwright Arthur's Miller, touches upon the essentials of how our society throughout generations deals with a code of ethics and how they can be easily broken, which eventually leads to despair, disappointment, humiliation and sometimes to suicide.

Award-winning director Mark Blanchard has gathered a powerhouse cast that would make Arthur Miller proud.  An iconic play combined with strong actors provides nothing less than greatness and a deep impact on the audience.  Blanchard brings out an emotional intensity among the actors, particularly Willy Loman (Joe Cortese) and Linda Loman (Frances Fisher), and under his direction, the entire cast played well off each other. Their passion combined with the truth of their characters is excellently revealed during the performances. Each of the cast is compelling. A Pulitzer Prize winning play that is as relevant today as it was in 1949.                                                                                           

Note from the Director, 'The reason I'm doing Death of a Salesman in 2025 is to express my love for the theatre. Covid shut down theatre across this nation for too long. American theater was so powerful for so long, with Broadway and all the regional theatres, and what I want to express is that theatre is alive and well.'

Considered by many to be Arthur Miller's masterpiece, Paul Panico/Panic! Productions embraced this magnificent play to present, entertain and enhance the theatre going experience with new interpretation of familiar work, while educating and entertaining its audience.                                                                                                                                            'We strive to present theatre that challenges expectations, offering actors and other theatre artists, both amateur and professional, the opportunity to take part in shows beyond the limits often found in a community theatre setting.'  Highly recommended. An unforgettable experience!

The outstanding cast are Joe Cortese as 'Willy Loman', Frances Fisher as 'Linda Loman', Cronin Cullen as 'Biff Loman', Robert Smythe as 'Happy Loman', Paul Ganus as 'Uncle Ben', Brian Guest as 'Bernard/Stanley', Gary Hudson as 'Charlie', Jennifer Olsberg as 'Letta/The Woman/Jenny', Michelle Jasso as 'Miss Forsythe', and Chris Ufland as 'Howard Wagner'.  Memorable & powerful performances. Bravo!

The production team players are Kaz Osborne (Stage Manager), Asa Fris (Assistant Stage Manager), Fritz Davis (Video Production Design) Justin Huen (Lighting and Set Design), Robert Arturo Ramirez and Christian Gama Franco (Co-Sound Design), Vicki Conrad (Costume Designer), Kiff Scholl, AFK Design (Graphic Design), Mia Christou / Visible Ink, INC. (Social Media Manager),  Sandra Kuker-Franco (Publicity and Marketing), and many more.

The Production of Death of a Salesman runs from January 14-26, 2025, performances Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri 7:30pm, Sat. 3:00pm & 7:30pm and Sunday 3:30pm, at the Colony Theatre, located at 555 N. Third Street (between Cypress and Magnolia), in Burbank, CA. Ample free onsite parking is available.