The Price (play)
| The Price | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Arthur Miller |
| Characters | Victor Franz Esther Franz Gregory Solomon Walter Franz |
| Date premiered | 7 February 1968 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | The attic of a to-be-demolished brownstone apartment building, New York City, New York |
The Price is a 1968 play by Arthur Miller. It is a piece about family dynamics, the price of furniture and the price of one's decisions. The play opened on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre on February 7, 1968 where it played until the production moved to the 46th Street Theatre on November 18, 1968. The production closed on February 15, 1969 after 429 performances. The opening night cast included Harold Gary as Gregory Solomon, Pat Hingle as Victor Franz, Kate Reid as Esther Franz, and Arthur Kennedy as Walter Franz.
The Price was nominated for two 1968 Tony Awards, for Best Play (Arthur Miller, writer; Robert Whitehead, producer) and Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson). The Price lost in the "Best Play" category to Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
Characters
- Victor Franz - A police sergeant, eligible for retirement and approaching his fiftieth birthday. The character is based on Irving Abrams, Miller's childhood friend, who attended Columbia University, had the highest IQ on the NYC police force, and became a photographer after his retirement. Abrams was also a superb tennis player.
- Esther Franz - Victor's wife, it is suggested that Esther may have a problem with drinking.
- Gregory Solomon - A wily Russian-Jewish antique dealer, nearly ninety years old.
- Walter Franz - Victor's brother, a successful doctor Victor hasn't spoken to in years.
Production history
The Price has been revived three times on Broadway since the original production.
- Original production, Morosco Theatre, 7 February 1968 to 16 November 1968; 46th Street Theatre 18 November 1968 to 15 February 1969; 429 total performances
- Playhouse Theatre, 19 June to 21 October 1979, 144 performances
- Criterion Center Stage Right, 10 June to 19 July 1992, 46 performances
- Royale Theatre, 15 November 1999 to 5 March 2000, 128 performances
- ArtSpace at Crestwood Court, closed 13 February 2011
- Octagon Theatre, 10 March - 2 April 2011
- ACT Theatre, 30 May 2014 to 22 June 2014
- Artists Repertory Theatre, 31 March 2015 to 26 April 2015
- Mark Taper Forum at the Center Theatre Group
- TimeLine Theatre, August 2015 to November 2015
Television adaptation
The Price was adapted for television in 1971, directed by Fielder Cook from a script by Miller, and broadcast as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame on the NBC network. David Burns played Mr. Solomon, Colleen Dewhurst played Mrs. Franz, George C. Scott played Victor Franz, and Barry Sullivan played Walter Franz. The production was nominated for four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Scott), Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Drama (Burns), Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama - A Single Program (Cook), and Outstanding Single Program - Drama or Comedy (David Susskind, producer). Scott and Cook won.
