Emotion fills the room when the characters of American playwright Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman take the Ponca Playhouse stage. The drama premiered on Broadway in 1949, winning a Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.

This cast, led by Ryan Brown’s lead character Willy Loman, is strong. Brown allows you to feel Willy’s movement between severe exhaustion and attempts at hopefulness to a maximum affect. You may well feel exhausted yourself as you want to hope with him even when you know there is no reason to do so. He desires so much, not just for himself, but for his family. His relationships with the other characters are believable and pull the show together.

One such relationship is that with Linda, his wife, played with exceptional beauty by Sam Stuart. At a time when women have little to no actual rights, Linda Loman is the strength in this family, and Stuart is that on this stage. She shows the wife and mother to be accommodating, nurturing (“You didn’t rest your mind”), and then an absolute warrior for her husband. We should all be so lucky to have someone like her on our side.

The two Loman sons, Biff and Happy, played respectively by John Badley and Jake Arington, are wonderfully cast. Each plays his differing personality to perfection, and how that reflects in the relationships to their father, their mother, and to one another works well on stage. The audience can often see themselves in some of these relationships and choices, as the sons are part of the current story and flashbacks showing how they came to be where they are in life. When Biff says “I’m just what I am”, we all feel it deeply.

Another perfectly played relationship is that of Charley, the Loman’s neighbor, played by Blake Brown. The scenes between Willy and Charley are full of opposition and sparring, and yet their friendship, hidden though it may often be, still shines through.

Charley’s cute and clumsy son Bernard, played by Mason Smykil, is a welcome and funny relief to the drama, and we’re always glad to see him come onto the stage.

Flashbacks are important in this drama, and an important character in them is Ben Loman, the very dapper and successful brother of Willy, played by Todd Stuart. In a wonderful costume that makes him stand out in scenes with Willy and Linda, Stuart takes the stage at different times, often reminding Willy of opportunities missed.

Rounding out the cast, and playing their roles nicely are Devyn Mitchell doing double duty as Howard and Stanley, both of whom were quite the interesting characters; Julie Roberts doing the same as The Woman and Jenny; Carli Pendleton as Miss Forsythe; and Lynna Storm as Letta. I won’t spoil any plot with more about these women.

The audience will be in the mood of this 1947 Brooklyn setting even prior to the show beginning because of the wonderful music design by director Nathan Oesterle. I’ve commented on his musical design before in other productions, and now I shall do so in conjunction with his directing. Have I mentioned we are so lucky to have him and his lovely partner back in our area? I’m sure I have numerous times.

Much of the crew is filled with this talented family as well as cast members in crew roles as well, and we are thankful for all they did to bring the production together. However, I do want to mention a couple of others in particular.

Producer for the show is Meghann Borum. The role of producer begins before the show is even cast, and continues until after strike. Stage Manager for the production is Mariah Moberly. This role is generally the right-hand for the director, and many of us never see the individual serving in the role, but it is essential to success. There are others working lights and sound, props and crew positions. Give a wave of thanks to them as you see them working up in the booth or organizing the stage after the show when you go by.

Director Nathan Oesterle, who has worked in much larger venues than ours, says, “I enjoy the closeness that the Ponca Playhouse brings. The actors will be only a few feet away acting their hearts out. It doesn’t allow the audience to escape the action when it’s that close.”

In a show like Death of a Salesman, that’s crucial. The themes are timely. As Oesterle says, “It deals with employers not paying a living wage, it deals with mental health issues, it deals with generational trauma. These are the forefront of the issues in the Loman family.” They are also issues in many families today.

Come out and spend some time caring about this family with the Ponca Playhouse family. There are adult themes and some language in this production, so it is not suitable for young children. Production dates are September 9-11 and 16-18, with Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased online at www.poncaplayhouse. com or by calling the office at 580-765-5360.