I think it’s safe to say that the majority of us have encountered Arthur Miller at some point in our lives. With works such as The Crucible being current VCE English exam material, it is no surprise that his magnum opus Death of a Salesman is still being performed almost eighty years after its original release.

Brought to the stage again by Hearth Theatre, we are introduced to the Loman family–we watch titular travelling salesman and family patriarch, Willy (Paul English), as he grapples with difficulties in employment and his turbulent relationship with one of his sons, Biff (Charlie Cousins). Willy’s mental wellbeing is in disarray, likely from the onset of dementia, as well as a general dissatisfaction with his life.

Hearth Theatre’s rendition of Miller’s classic play makes for an excellent night out. With an intense six-month rehearsal period, the cast and crew’s dedication to producing a great show is clear and pays off well.

The cast, even when the spotlight isn’t on them, are mesmerizing to watch–with their commitment to their characters shown through deliberate background movement, like Linda (Margot Knight) stirring in bed off to the left side of the stage while brothers Biff and Happ (Ross Dwyer) have a conversation to the right, occupying the spotlight, or how Willy mutters to himself whilst drinking a glass of milk in the background.

It's interesting to watch how the play–which is told in fragments and flashbacks of earlier moments in Willy’s life combined with the present–cleverly weaves these opposing scenes together in real time. We watch characters from Willy’s past interject present scenes by circling him on stage, the lights dimming from yellow to a gloomy blue, and the music becoming dark and eerie. The temporal shifts are intricately shown occupying the same space, and even the same characters at the same time. We get to see his life-altering experiences and the lingering hold they have over him in the present–Willy having conversations with the characters of his past, explaining his odd muttering to himself, whilst simultaneously confusing the characters around him.

The cast of Hearth Theatre are excellent. Paul English as Willy was a standout, deserving of all the cheers and applause we heard at the end as he did a solo bow. He was remarkable to watch, stunningly capturing Willy’s disillusionment with his life and failure to support his family alone, as well as portraying his confusion and instability as his mind decayed.

Charlie Cousins and Ross Dwyer were also perfectly cast, pliant in the way they were able to easily shift from playing their characters in adulthood to portraying them as children in flashbacks, replicating childlike mannerisms in body language alone. Margot Knight is also incredible, her ability to express such intense emotions through her facial expressions even when she is not speaking is subtle, yet greatly effective.

Hearth Theatre does an incredible job in retelling one of the most important plays of the 20^th century–a play where, given the cost of living and inflation affecting us all in the modern day, the notion that we are “worth more dead than alive” has never been more unsettlingly fitting.