Review: Arthur Miller’s THE PRICE at Pacific Resident Theatre through April 12

THE PRICE by Arthur Miller premiered on Broadway in 1968 and was nominated for two Tony Awards, for Best Play and Best Scenic Design. It is a timeless piece regarding the choices we make and the consequences we eventually face. It is about family dynamics, the price of furniture, and the price of one's decisions, taking place in the attic of a soon-to-be-demolished Manhattan brownstone where two brothers, estranged for decades, meet to dispose of their family’s property stored there. The resulting confrontation leads them to examine the events and qualities of their very different lives and the price each of them has had to pay to have the lives they now lead.

Richard Fancy, Jason Huber, Dana Dewes, Scott Jackson
Photo credit: Ian Cardamone

Brilliantly written by Arthur Miller so that anyone with a sibling will certainly understand the push me-pull you relationship dynamic, director Elina de Santos has mined every nuance of the lives of down-to-Earth cop Victor Franz (Scott G. Jackson) and his always-wanting-more wife Esther (Dana Dewes) who we meet as they take a quick inventory and discuss memories from his family’s lives as they wait for appraiser Gregory Solomon (Richard Fancy whose tour-de-force characterization is not to be missed) to arrive and offer them a price for all the belongings stored away for years. Of course, Victor and his brother Walter (classy Jason Huber) have not spoken for 16 years, yet each is entitled to half the proceeds from the sale.

Dana Dewes portrays Esther
Photo credit: Ian Cardamone

But not being sure that his brother plans to keep anything for himself or will want half of the inheritance money, Victor soon accepts the first offer made by Solomon who relishes his great fortune at acquiring so many antiques and items of great re-sale value for such a low offer. Of course, when Victor’s wife returns from the cleaners and Walter shows up just as the deal is being closed, they immediately disagree with the low price being offered and spend a good part of the play jockeying back and forth with each other as well as the dumbfounded appraiser on the real worth of the items being sold. And when Solomon leaves the room, the brothers discuss how their lives turned out due to decisions made involving their seemingly cold-hearted father.

Jason Huber, Dana Dewes, Scott Jackson
Photo credit: Ian Cardamone

As the action take place, we learn that Walter went on to become a very successful medical doctor by moving away and attending college to pursue his dream. Victor, on the other hand, felt obligated to stay behind and care for his father, putting aside his own dreams of attending college to study science. Instead, Victor became a beat cop, married Esther, who very loudly reflects on how hard it was living with him on so little, thus feeling she and Victor should inherit the entire amount and leave Walter with nothing. But will Walter agree to that arrangement?

Jason Huber, Scott Jackson
Photo credit: Ian Cardamone

As many past revelations are revealed, all four characters take a hard look at the price you get and the price you pay for the decisions you make in your life. Is it worth it to put your own dreams aside out of family obligation?  Is it wrong to go off and pursue your own dream while the rest of your family suffers financially?  But what if it turns out your father was a liar and his refusal to provide funds for your education came from his desire to keep you at home to care for him, when in fact he had enough money in the bank to take care of himself?  It’s a tough decision made by lots of families, no doubt causing long-term rifts as part the price you pay for doing what you think is right rather than what you really want to do for yourself – a frequent theme of Arthur Miller’s canon of plays.

Richard Fancy, Jason Huber, Dana Dewes, Scott Jackson
Photo credit: Ian Cardamone

Thanks to de Santos’ insightful direction, the on-going dialogues never seem to drag and the action flows at a pace which keeps the audience interested in just what happens between these well-written characters. All four actors are fully invested in presenting real people struggling with the decisions made during their lives, each having valid reasons for their past decisions. Thankfully, as difficult as Esther’s life with Victor has been financially, the two really do care for each other deeply, with Dewes and Jackson sharing moments of solid emotional connection between them.

Dana Dewes, Scott Jackson
Photo credit: Ian Cardamone

Wearing a classy new suit (thanks to Costume Designer Keilani Gleave, who sharply dresses the men as well), for which Esther receives compliments from all three men, it seems Esther would have been much happier being married to a financially successful man (like Walter) who could afford to provide a much easier life for her. And the one time the two of them sit and have a personal conversation alone, it is very apparent that Esther is very interested in Walter’s life and successes, while offering comfort to him for his personal struggles over the years they were not in touch, proving herself to be the emotional rock and spiritual backbone of a family being torn apart by shame, responsibility, and lies.

Jason Huber, Scott Jackson
Photo credit: Ian Cardamone

Jackson and Huber are a joy to watch as they get reacquainted after so long, both finding fault as well as new truths about the choices each has made. When they come to blows, it ends quickly and the two then move on with the task at hand. Jackson presents Victor as a man who has accepted his lot in life and done the best he can, while Walter, though more financially well off, has suffered a breakdown and gone on to re-invent himself as a “new man.”  So much so, it seems hard to believe the brother Victor describes from his past could possibly be the caring man we meet during the second act of the play. Even Esther is impressed with the new Walter and encourages Victor to give his brother “a chance.”   

Richard Fancy, Scott Jackson
Photo credit: Ian Cardamone

But it is Richard Fancy’s quirky Jewish appraiser full of his own importance who steals the show and often adds a touch of much-needed humor to the ongoing negotiations. But in the end, his opinion that life really is just about the rat race with people striving for more money to be happy will continue to be debated for as long as people exist. And is that struggle worth the cost on so many levels?

Kudos to scenic designer Rich Rose for decorating the intimate stage to perfection with lots of furniture hanging on the walls, a lovely harp which many would have kept rather than sell, beautiful formal ball gowns hanging in a sturdy standing closet, as well as many more items than I could possible list here. Adding in a touch of time period realism is Christopher Moscatiello’s sound design which includes a 1920’s “laughing party” record, which adds so much to the play’s emotional ending.