Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
‘Death of a Salesman’ at Oberlin adds layer of black, Jewish history
Click image to enlarge
|
BY: ELIZABETH WEINSTEIN Staff Reporter
In Oberlin College’s upcoming production of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” senior Josh Sobel’s character Bernard first appears onstage wearing a yarmulke.
Miller’s classic play examines the dark side of the American dream, mostly in the form of Willy Loman, a struggling, aging salesman whose career and personal life disprove the cliché that if you work hard enough, you’ll succeed.
In an innovative twist, director Justin Emeka, a visiting assistant professor of African-American studies and theater and dance at Oberlin, adds layers of racial and cultural history to the play.
Bernard’s father Charley lives next door to Willy Loman and his family; Bernard and Charley serve as foils to Willy and his son Biff, who is the same age as Bernard. Emeka’s vision for the production, he explains, was “to imagine the Loman family as an African-American family in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the early 1950s, living in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic neighborhood.” Neighbors Charley and Bernard “are imagined as Jewish immigrants (who came) from Germany with the rise of the Third Reich” in the 1930s. Biff, who was a popular football player in high school, is 34 and cannot hold a job. Bernard, who was nerdy and awkward in high school, has gone on to become a successful attorney.
Emeka’s casting of a black Loman family may be making a statement about the hampering role of race in America, while casting Bernard and Charley as Jewish is a commentary on Jewish success .
The production features a multi-generational cast n half students, half professional actors n including alum Avery Brooks ’70 as Willy Loman, Petronia Paley as Linda Loman, and Marc Jablon as Charley. In addition to directing, Emeka co-stars as Biff.
Sobel, a theater major from Rochester, N.Y., says he appreciates the chance to work closely with professional actors: “It’s an opportunity students who want to make (acting) their lives (would) kill for.” As for getting into the character of Bernard, he says, “It’s something that I’ve been able to bring my own experience to. I’m very tied to my Jewish faith.”
Jablon, a professional actor from Long Island, N.Y., is also Jewish, like his character Charley. “It’s really interesting to see two men (Willy and Charley) who have had to live on the fringes of society … understanding what it means to be members of their respective ethnic groups and cultures, and to have a relationship … built on trust, openness, and an ability to be forthright and really stick together,” he says.
Miller’s original text and dialogue remain untouched. “Within these cultural filters, the text maintains as it (was) originally written (and) translates flawlessly,” Sobel says. “To see these words, without any changes, suddenly take on a whole new life is absolutely fascinating.”
Emeka, who most recently directed “Julius X” at Cleveland’s Karamu House, says that with “Salesman,” he set out to explore the relationship between the Jewish and black experiences. It includes “that friendship, and at times, that kind of rivalry that has existed historically.”
“A lot of times we tend to shy away from the issue of race because it’s such a complex and painful subject,” he says. “But in my approach to theater and my approach to telling stories, I oftentimes incorporate race.”
eweinstein@cjn.org
WHAT: “Death of A Salesman”
WHEN: Sept. 18-21 (Friday and Saturday sold out)
WHERE: Hall Auditorium, 67 N. Main St., Oberlin
CONtACT: 800-371-0178
Miller’s classic play examines the dark side of the American dream, mostly in the form of Willy Loman, a struggling, aging salesman whose career and personal life disprove the cliché that if you work hard enough, you’ll succeed.
In an innovative twist, director Justin Emeka, a visiting assistant professor of African-American studies and theater and dance at Oberlin, adds layers of racial and cultural history to the play.
Bernard’s father Charley lives next door to Willy Loman and his family; Bernard and Charley serve as foils to Willy and his son Biff, who is the same age as Bernard. Emeka’s vision for the production, he explains, was “to imagine the Loman family as an African-American family in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the early 1950s, living in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic neighborhood.” Neighbors Charley and Bernard “are imagined as Jewish immigrants (who came) from Germany with the rise of the Third Reich” in the 1930s. Biff, who was a popular football player in high school, is 34 and cannot hold a job. Bernard, who was nerdy and awkward in high school, has gone on to become a successful attorney.
Emeka’s casting of a black Loman family may be making a statement about the hampering role of race in America, while casting Bernard and Charley as Jewish is a commentary on Jewish success .
The production features a multi-generational cast n half students, half professional actors n including alum Avery Brooks ’70 as Willy Loman, Petronia Paley as Linda Loman, and Marc Jablon as Charley. In addition to directing, Emeka co-stars as Biff.
Sobel, a theater major from Rochester, N.Y., says he appreciates the chance to work closely with professional actors: “It’s an opportunity students who want to make (acting) their lives (would) kill for.” As for getting into the character of Bernard, he says, “It’s something that I’ve been able to bring my own experience to. I’m very tied to my Jewish faith.”
Jablon, a professional actor from Long Island, N.Y., is also Jewish, like his character Charley. “It’s really interesting to see two men (Willy and Charley) who have had to live on the fringes of society … understanding what it means to be members of their respective ethnic groups and cultures, and to have a relationship … built on trust, openness, and an ability to be forthright and really stick together,” he says.
Miller’s original text and dialogue remain untouched. “Within these cultural filters, the text maintains as it (was) originally written (and) translates flawlessly,” Sobel says. “To see these words, without any changes, suddenly take on a whole new life is absolutely fascinating.”
Emeka, who most recently directed “Julius X” at Cleveland’s Karamu House, says that with “Salesman,” he set out to explore the relationship between the Jewish and black experiences. It includes “that friendship, and at times, that kind of rivalry that has existed historically.”
“A lot of times we tend to shy away from the issue of race because it’s such a complex and painful subject,” he says. “But in my approach to theater and my approach to telling stories, I oftentimes incorporate race.”
eweinstein@cjn.org
WHAT: “Death of A Salesman”
WHEN: Sept. 18-21 (Friday and Saturday sold out)
WHERE: Hall Auditorium, 67 N. Main St., Oberlin
CONtACT: 800-371-0178
 |
 |
|
| Cleveland Jewish FilmFest a hit | Violence perpetrated in the name of God |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of clevelandjewishnews.com.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments. Registration is free.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
