As a result, he’s an uber-demanding theatrical sparring partner to be pitted against.īut both Brendan Coyle as Victor and Adrian Lukis as Walter do an admirable job of fighting their corner – Victor cloaking himself ever tighter in a passive-aggressive armour of martyrdom as Walter’s carefully-curated image of self-satisfied success story subtly erodes before our eyes.
His character may be one part comedy and one part tragedy, but Suchet is all parts extraordinarily charismatic, at all times. His crotchety-but-wise character’s plushly-upholstered backstory is woven into the tapestry of every line he delivers – and Solomon most definitely has the best lines. In the role of Solomon, David Suchet is an absolute joy to behold. The designer’s innate sense of artistry has created a literal interpretation of nostalgia against which a drama analysing how interpretations of past situations affect our destiny is played out. If Miller’s meticulously delineative dialogue takes the starring role, Simon Higlett’s exquisite set – a complex tangle of vintage furniture from opulent armoires to sumptuous sofas by way of the kind of ornate cabinets, mirrors and once-treasured domestic paraphernalia that suggest a formerly luxurious, grand environment, suspended around the stage – easily deserves an equal share of the spotlight.
And then along comes Gregory Solomon: the octogenarian second-hand furniture dealer who, it transpires, fully understands the value of which brother is actually owed what, and by whom. Walter, however, chose to look after himself instead, and became a successful surgeon. Victor’s wife Esther is largely exasperated by the choices and sacrifices that Victor made.
Victor is a cop who sacrificed his dreams of taking a more ambitious career path in order to take care of his father, whose own once-prosperous career was wiped out during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The drama takes place in the attic of a huge, rambling New York brownstone – formerly long-estranged brothers Victor and Walter’s family home, now due for demolition – in the late 1960s.
What price do we put on our past? That’s basically the premise of one of Arthur Miller’s lesser-celebrated plays, written five decades ago this year, chosen by artistic director of Theatre Royal Bath’s Summer Season Jonathan Church as this year’s flagship production – and worth every penny of the cost of any ticket you can still get hold of before the run ends. Melissa Blease reviews Arthur Miller’s The Price, starring David Suchet, Brendan Coyle and Adrian Lukis, on at Theatre Royal Bath until 25 August
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