This week our guest is Dr. Susan C. W. Abbotson, who teaches at Rhode Island College and is such an Arthur Miller specialist that she once was president of the Arthur Miller Society. She’s still on that organization’s board and also serves as performance editor of the “Arthur Miller Journal.” Let’s go on a limb and say that she knows a thing or two about this most prominent — and still incredibly popular — playwright. There’s basically a Miller play on Broadway every other season, and of course you can see his work regularly all over the United States and even the world. Currently, New Yorkers can catch a revival of “Death of a Salesman” directed by Miranda Cromwell and starring Wendell Pierce and Sharon D Clarke. Peter loved it (here’s his review); Elisabeth did not.
We had a terrific conversation with Dr. Susan, as Elisabeth persists in calling her, and we’re pretty sure that you’ll find it interesting even if you don’t like Miller’s work — we discussed issues like casting and staging, which of course should be of interest to pretty much anybody interested in theater.
Extra reading material: Peter’s interview with Sharon D Clark.
John Lahr has a new biography of Miller (Yale University Press). Don’t worry, it’s shorter than his Tennessee Williams one.
Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.
Arthur Miller in the news