By Shannon Thomas Kennedy, guest critic
REVIEW:
'The Price'
Jewish Ensemble Theatre Company at the Aaron DeRoy Theatre on the campus of the Jewish Community Center, 6600 West Maple Rd., West Bloomfield. Wed., Thu., Sat. & Sun., through Nov. 12. Tickets: $29-$39. For information: 248-799-2900 or http://www.jettheatre.org
What are the costs we are willing to pay for the choices we make in our lives? That is the question asked of the audience at The Jewish Ensemble Theatre's production of "The Price" by Arthur Miller.
At some point in our lives we all look back and contemplate the choices we have made in our lives – and the price we have had to pay for them.
There are moments in our lives that create situations for us to look at ourselves and the life we have created. We question if the choices and sacrifices we have made were the right ones; if not, they can cripple us and our future. We join the Franz family at one of those moments.
The home of Victor and Walter Franz is going to be demolished, and after a 16-year separation the brothers come together to sell off their former possessions.
Victor (Phil Powers), a veteran of the New York Police Department, arrives at the attic of their former Manhattan brownstone, once the home of his father who lived there from the time of his bankruptcy in 1929 until his death.
Victor's wife Esther (Lynnae Lehfeldt) joins him as he awaits the appraiser. Their conversation provides an analogy for the life they have created together. Esther feels her life has been stagnant and unfulfilled while waiting for Victor to finally make a decision about what he wants to do with his life. She wants Victor to get the best possible price for each item so they can finally have the financial ability to live their lives. Victor, on the edge of retirement, does not want to face that his world is going to change. He holds on to the past like he holds onto the possessions – not understanding that, like furniture, aspects of your past don't always work today and can impede your future.
The arrival of appraiser Gregory Soloman (Sol Frieder), with his questions and insistence of understanding each item, exasperates the dynamic between Victor and Esther. The transaction for the final sale is interrupted with the arrival of Victor's brother, Walter (Loren Bass), as the two review their differing views on their lives and the choices they made – choices that brought Victor resentment and anger, and Walter the realization that life needs to keep moving forward at any cost.
This production, though well cast, lacks the energy and tempo needed to deliver the message of this show – particularly in the first act. It only picks up with the arrival of Walter, who serves as a catalyst that brings the repressed emotions of the brothers to the surface.
The set, an integral component of the play, is well designed and excellently dressed with fine period pieces. The costuming gives you an accurate sense of who these people are and how they live. Lack of texture and nuance in the lighting was disappointing, as there were many missed opportunities to support key moments in the play.
