DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit „Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman – Critical Reception on Viennese Stages” Verfasser Hano Pipic angestrebter akademischer Grad Magister der Philosophie (Mag. phil.) Wien, 2009 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 343 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Anglistik und Amerikanistik Betreuerin: Univ. Prof. Dr. Margarete Rubik ii iii HINWEIS Diese Diplomarbeit hat nachgewiesen, dass der betreffende Kandidat befähigt ist, wissenschaftliche Themen selbstständig sowie inhaltlich und methodisch vertretbar zu bearbeiten. Da die Korrekturen der Beurteilenden nicht eingetragen sind und das Gutachten nicht beiliegt, ist daher nicht erkenntlich, mit welcher Note diese Arbeit abgeschlossen wurde. Das Spektrum reicht von sehr gut bis genügend. Es wird gebeten, diesen Hinweis bei der Lektüre zu beachten. iv v Acknowledgments One cannot write such a piece unaided. Indeed, I have typed in all the words by myself but it took many cheerleaders to finally get this job done. The mental and nourishing support and, of course, love all played a great role in this endeavor. I must thank Prof. Margarete Rubik for making sure that I finish what I have started. Her relentless motivation gave me the muscle to type in the final words. Of course, Conny Kubinger must not be forgotten. The vigorous remarks of encouragement and her ability to make me laugh, I shall not overlook. Chris Struhar, a very good friend of mine, has also helped to pull off this considerable feat. His valuable piece of advice has been very much welcomed. Great appreciation must be given to my mother Alma for feeding my mind and body with sugar and protein. Without her delicious cooking I would still be working on the last parts of this thesis. Love played an important part in my writing this piece of work. It became that little precious catalyst that helped me up, pushed me forward, and sometimes even let me walk on its feet. It must be difficult to radiate with love when the other person sometimes subdues it with its shadows. But her unyielding and incandescent presence has again and again given me all the light to find my way back to a content self. I must thank Lena Pfundner for her radiating love. vi vii Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. AMERICAN RECEPTION 4 2.1. AMERICAN PREMIERE (1949) DURING THE POST -WAR YEARS 4 2.1.1. CASTING FOR WILLY AND LINDA LOMAN 6 a) Lee J. Cobb as Willy Loman 6 b) Mildred Dunnock as Linda Loman 8 2.1.2. THE CELEBRATED DIRECTOR ELIA KAZAN 9 2.1.3. THE STAGE DESIGNER JO MIELZINER 10 2.1.4. ATTACK ON CAPITALIST AMERICA OR CELEBRATION OF SALESMANSHIP 11 2.1.5. MILLER ’S DRAMA A TRAGEDY ? 13 2.1.6. DEATH OF A SALESMAN – A UNIVERSAL PLAY WITH A UNIVERSAL HERO ? 15 2.1.7. RECAPITULATION OF THE 1940 S 17 2.2. AMERICAN PRODUCTIONS OF DEATH OF A SALESMAN 100 MILES FROM BROADWAY (1951-1972) 18 2.2.1. THE YIDDISH VERSION IN A ROUGH -AND -TUMBLE AMERICA IN THE 1950 S 18 2.2.1.1. Recapitulation of the 1950s 21 2.2.2. DEATH OF A SALESMAN IN THE UNFORGETTABLE 1960 S 22 2.2.2.1. The 1963 Tyrone Guthrie Theater Production 22 2.2.2.2. Recapitulation of the 1960s 25 2.2.3. DEATH OF A SALESMAN IN THE EVOLVING 1970 S 26 2.2.3.1. THE 1972 BALTIMORE CENTER STAGE PRODUCTION 27 2.3. THE FIRST BROADWAY REVIVAL (1975) 29 2.3.1. GEORGE C. SCOTT AS WILLY LOMAN 30 2.3.2. THE STAGE DESIGN 33 2.3.3. “D EATH OF A SALESMAN ” - STILL AN ALL -PERVADING CLASSIC ? 35 2.3.4. THE ISSUE OF RACE IN THE 1975 BROADWAY PRODUCTION 36 2.3.5. RECAPITULATION OF THE 1970 S 39 2.4. DEATH OF A SALESMAN IN THE PROSPEROUS 1980 S 40 2.4.1. THE BROADWAY REVIVAL (1984) 41 2.4.1.1. Dustin Hoffman as Willy Loman 44 2.4.1.2. Memorable Performances by John Malkowich and Kate Reid 47 2.4.1.3. Stage design 49 2.4.1.4. The Play’s Universality 50 2.4.1.5. The Revival’s Grand Success 52 2.4.2. RECAPITULATION OF THE 1980 S 53 viii 2.5. DEATH OF A SALESMAN IN THE SOARING 1990 S 54 2.5.1. THE REVIVAL OF DEATH OF A SALESMAN (1999) 54 2.5.1.1. Casting for Willy and Linda Loman 57 2.5.1.2. The Stage Design 60 2.5.1.3. The Disillusionment with the American Dream 62 2.5.2. RECAPITULATION OF THE 1990 S 65 3. AUSTRIAN RECEPTION 66 3.1. THE AUSTRIAN PREMIERE (1950) DURING THE POST -WAR YEARS 66 3.1.1. ANTON EDTHOFER AS WILLY AND ADRIENNE GESSNER AS LINDA LOMAN 72 3.1.2. ANTON EDTHOFER AS THE TRUE WILLY LOMAN 73 3.1.3. THE DIRECTOR ERNST LOTHAR 75 3.1.4. FERDINAND BRUCKNER AS THE TRANSLATOR 77 3.1.5. THE PLAY ’S UNIVERSALITY 79 3.1.6. MILLER ’S TRAGEDY – TOO DEPRESSING FOR THE VIENNESE THEATERGOER ? 84 3.1.7. DEATH OF A SALESMAN – FOOD FOR THE COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA MACHINE 86 3.1.8. RECAPITULATION OF THE 1950 S 89 3.2. THE FIRST REVIVAL (1961) IN THE CHANGING 1960 S 92 3.2.1. HEINZ RÜHMANN AS WILLY AND KÄTHE GOLD AS LINDA LOMAN 96 a) Heinz Rühmann as Willy Loman 96 b) Käthe Gold as Linda Loman 100 3.2.2. PETER HOFFMANN ’S PRODUCTION OF DEATH OF A SALESMAN 101 3.2.3. THE STAGE DESIGNER LOIS EGG 104 3.2.4. DEATH OF A SALESMAN – A STRICTLY AMERICAN PLAY ? 105 3.2.5. RECAPITULATION OF THE 1960 S 107 3.3. DEATH OF A SALESMAN FOR THE WORKING -FORCE IN THE 1970 S 109 3.3.1. DEATH OF A SALESMAN IN THE OUTER DISTRICTS (1975) 109 3.3.2. JOSEF HENDRICHS 114 a) Josef Hendrichs 114 b) Marianne Gerzner 115 3.3.3. THE PLAY ’S UNIVERSALITY 115 3.3.4. RECAPITULATION OF THE 1970 S 118 3.4. DEATH OF A SALESMAN IN THE CRITICAL 1980 S 120 3.4.1. HEINZ REINCKE 124 a) Heinz Reincke 125 b) Aglaja Schmid 129 3.4.2. THE STAGE DESIGNER WOLF MÜNZNER 131 3.4.3. JÜRGEN BOSSE 134 3.4.4. RECAPITULATION OF THE 1980 S 137 3.5. DEATH OF A SALESMAN IN THE BLEAK 1990 S 139 3.5.1 HELMUTH LOHNER AS WILLY AND CHRISTINE OSTERMAYER AS LINDA LOMAN 142 a) Helmuth Lohner as Willy Loman 142 b) Christine Ostermayer as Linda Loman 146 3.5.2. THE STAGE DESIGNER – EZIO TOFFOLUTTI 147 3.5.3. HELMUT GRIEM ’S PRODUCTION – IRRELEVANT OR STILL ACTUAL 149 3.5.4. RECAPITULATION OF THE 1990 S 154 ix 4. COMPARISON 156 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY 166 5.1. PRIMARY SOURCES 166 5.2. SECONDARY SOURCES 166 5.2.1. ELECTRONIC SOURCES 176 6. INDEX 178 7. APPENDIX 181 7.1. PRODUCTIONS OF DEATH OF A SALESMAN IN AMERICA 181 7.2. PRODUCTIONS OF DEATH OF A SALESMAN IN VIENNA 183 8. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 185 9. CURRICULUM VITAE 187 x 1 1. Introduction All these years later when I see a play of mine that I wrote thirty-five years ago, and I see that the audience is screwed into it in the way they were in the first place, I like to believe that the feeling that they have is that man is worth something. That you care about him much is a miracle, I mean considering the numbers of ourselves that we have destroyed in the last century. I think art imputes value to human beings and if I did that it would be the most pleasant thought I could depart with...I guess the other thing is the wonder of it all, that I’m still here, that so much of it did work, that the people are so open to it, and that we sort of grasped hands somehow, in many places and many languages. It gives me a glimpse of the idea that there is one humanity. ... And I think it’s a sort of miracle. (Miller quoted in Bigsby, XXXVII) This response, made by Arthur Miller in 1989 after being asked what gave him the greatest pleasure as a writer, shows the degree to which the American playwright trusted in the raw, attractive nature of his plays. The sincerity with which Miller approached his work enabled the playwright to forge a special connection with the audience, a connection that transcended all geographic, linguistic, and temporal barriers. Indeed, the playwright achieved a level of world- wide fame only reached by a handful of names throughout the deep history of the stage. Death of a Salesman , first performed on Broadway at the Morosco Theater on 10 February in 1949, became one of Miller’s greatest masterpieces and ultimately resulted in the writer’s international recognition. The work is still performed on countless stages and is still read by patrons of all nationalities and ages. “It has been produced in six continents, in every country that has a Western theatrical tradition, and in some that have not” (Murphy, 106). It has been performed in such unlikely areas as Peking and the edge of the Arctic Circle among Norwegian fishermen, who kept coming back night after night to witness “the performance in a language they did not understand” (Murphy, 106). Hardly ever 2 did Miller’s classic play fall short of moving an international audience. 1 After its premiere in the United States, Death of a Salesman was performed in London at the Phoenix stage on 28 July, 1949.