TV, Film, Regional Star in Playhouse's Death of a Salesman

The Cumberland County Playhouse’s new production of Arthur Miller’s great American drama, Death of a Salesman, stars leading New York, regional, film and television actor Peter Van Wagner as Willy Loman, one of the modern theater’s greatest characters. Comfort Suites and Holiday Inn Express are sponsoring the Playhouse’s first production of this heart-filled and powerful classic play, running through October 6 in the Fairfield Resorts Adventure Theater.

Van Wagner heads a cast including Playhouse leading lady Patty Payne as wife Linda Loman, and New York professionals Ken Quiricone and Andre Pitre as Loman’s sons Happy and Biff and David Sitler as Willy’s mysterious brother Ben. Playhouse favorites in major supporting roles include John Fionte and Ross Schexnayder as neighbors Charlie and Bernard, plus Jason Ross as Willy’s boss Howard.

“We’re excited to have an actor of Peter’s stature playing Willy Loman,” said Associate Producing Director Abigail Crabtree. “Our audiences will have seen him guest starring on Law & Order and in recurring roles on Rescue Me, All My Children and One Life To Live.”

Van Wagner appeared in a featured role in Woody Allen’s film Hollywood Ending. Internationally, Peter Van Wagner has performed in West Side Story at LaScala in Milan and toured Germany in the Kopit/Yeston version of Phantom. In New York, he performed in The Notebook at Second Stage. Some of Peter’s Chicago stage work includes: Fiddler on the Roof, 1776, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

“The Adventure Theatre is the ideal setting for this intimate portrayal of a family’s fight to preserve their dreams,“ states guest director Nancy Robillard of New York.

Death of a Salesman, written by Miller in 1949, is the American story of a man and his family caught by changing times, a challenging world, and a downsizing economy. Salesman was the first work to receive three major awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, plus the Tony Award and New York Critics' Circle Award for Best Play, establishing Miller as an internationally-known playwright.

The Playhouse’s scenic production is by United Scenic Artists designer Tom Tutino, with costumes by Quinn Fortune and sound by Josh Hobbs. Salesman runs in repertory with four other productions, including the Broadway fable Guys & Dolls, Gilbert and Sullivan’s musically gorgeous and very funny The Mikado, the 14th season of Smoke on the Mountain, and the world premiere of the new Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming.

Tickets can be purchased from the Playhouse Box Office at 931-484-5000.

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