Reviews  

Arthur Miller's Autobiographical Piece Again on Broadway
by Irene Backalenick

As they used to say at one time, the sun never sets on the British Empire. The same might be said of Arthur Miller and his work. That gifted Jewish-American playwright continues to produce, and to be produced around the world. He has, in fact, become the great patriarch of American letters, his enduring works have become modern classics.
Jewish-American? Yes. But when Miller first burst upon the theatrical scene, he did not emphasize his Jewish background. Quite the contrary. In his first great success, "Death of a Salesman," his Willy Loman was a defeated character who lived an unfulfilled dream, but a man of no specific ethnic identity.

There were good practical reasons to de-emphasize one's ethnic background in the 40s and 50s, when it was still assumed that this was a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant country. In later years Miller would openly take on Jewish issues, as in his Holocaust drama, "Incident at Vichy," and "American Clock" (a drama about his own family background).

"After the Fall" is another matter entirely. That Miller's 1964 play is a kind of docudrama cannot be denied, with Maggie, the lead character, looking remarkably like Miller's second wife Marilyn Monroe. And, like Miller's own personal drama, it deals with a harried man, his mother, his three wives. But there is nothing Jewish about the play and its characters.

Perhaps it is this ethnic sterility which explains the early failure of "After the Fall," and the fact that it is rarely produced (compared to other Miller plays). Or it may be its scattershot, non-linear format. Miller is to be admired for continuing to experiment dramatically, but experiments do not always work.

In any event, "After the Fall" is once more back on Broadway, courtesy of the Roundabout Theatre. And though it has been worked over by director Michael Mayer, tightening and clarifying the piece, it continues to lack those very elements which make for strong, tight, effective drama. The story continues to jump about, with characters fading in and out, as in a dream, while Miller indulges himself in poetic and philosophic ramblings.

The one striking character is Maggie, the fragile, haunted, alcoholic, drug-ridden star-and the hero's second wife. And Carla Gugino, as Maggie, gives a sizzling performance. Of course, she gets to pull out all the stops in this role, changing from an innocent waif to a very caricature of herself. But Gugino is well worth seeing. And she is backed up by a competent cast, including Peter Krause as her husband.

In all, "After the Fall" proves that the best of playwrights can falter at times. As for ourselves, we would not walk around the corner to see this play again, but we would run, not walk, to the nearest revival of "Death of a Salesman," "A View from the Bridge" or "The Crucible."