Arthur Miller’s The Price

"The power of 'The Price' lies in how a psychologically cogent conflict about love, family, and duty is folded into a larger debate about how to live one's life...Kinney has welded his four fine talents into an impressive quartet...It's long past time that 'The Price' be recognized as one of Miller's finest plays, one that stands next to his acknowledged masterpieces. In no other work of his are the battle lines so fairly drawn, the conflict so well-armed on both sides." Full Review

“A solid, unexpectedly compelling production…‘The Price’ can easily come off as slow and hokey today, but director Terry Kinney achieves a fine balance between Ruffalo, Shalhoub and Hecht’s raw, accusatory battling and DeVito’s spirited, minutely detailed character acting.” Full Review

"Scintillatingly bristling revival...It reinforces how incisive Kinney is as a director...DeVito is a marvel; if the evening weren’t as good as it is, we might recommend it simply so you can see what Danny can do with a boiled egg...I’ve never seen the play with four equal performances. Mr. Kinney has taken his actors—all of whom are accomplished—and mixed them together in such a manner that the play always comes through." Full Review

"It is still topical and relevant, for it deals with how the past catches up with all of us...Mr. Miller is a master at confrontational dialog and he’s in top form in this outing. He’s helped enormously by the beautiful work of Mark Ruffalo and Tony Shalhoub...Ms. Hecht...turning a supporting role into a star turn...Danny DeVito is a revelation...I’ve only seen one other production of this play, the original one, but I found this outing far more fruitful." Full Review

"A powerhouse family tale that, in the hands of Kinney and a superb cast, proves to be one of Miller’s masterpieces...The nimble Hecht, the ever-elegant Shalhoub, and the brusque Ruffalo form an intimate trio, three pros at the top of their game...DeVito makes an impressive Broadway debut...Kinney gets right to the heart of the play, examining the choices we all make and the costs, visible and hidden, that come with them...In this glorious revival, money, of course, is never the answer." Full Review

"Director Kinney's extraordinary new revival of the show makes the convincing argument that the play deserves as much attention as any in the Miller canon...There are no avant-garde bells-and-whistles here, no jarring or subversive flourishes. Instead, McKinney insists upon the primacy of Miller's crackling dialogue, and the playwright's peerless grasp of the often twisted dynamics of American families...The actors are everything you might hope for with such a starry cast." Full Review

"Shalboub and Hecht are Broadway regulars and can do no wrong. They’re excellent, as expected, and they’re there to keep the boat afloat. They do more than that. You can’t take your eyes off of them. But it’s Mark Ruffalo and Danny DeVito who we’re looking at. 'The Price' offers a bit of comedy in the first act, and DeVito delivers it as if he’s a little cherry bomb...Terry Kinney directs, sharply as ever. There will be lots of awards talk for everyone involved." Full Review

“One of Miller’s most obviously resonant plays…Kinney’s production is blessed with four excellent actors. Mark Ruffalo is exceptional…Ruffalo and Shalhoub are in scintillating form as they dance around each other…They are marvellous to watch…Kinney’s production is detailed and absorbing, and it is difficult to imagine better performances. Funny and moving, occasionally startling, ‘The Price’ is well worth its price, both in time and cash.” Full Review

"Still reverberates with meaning for the 2010s. Let’s just say that the dramatic themes and human conflicts are timeless. Kinney directs a superlative cast consisting of Ruffalo, Shalhoub, Hecht, and DeVito, who make this revival a treasured experience...Under Kinney’s measured direction, the recriminations really heat up in the galvanic second act, when kind Esther and adorable Solomon fade into the shadows and let the brothers fight their old quarrels until one or both of them falls over." Full Review

“Shalhoub is superb as the smooth-talking Walter...The role of Esther fits Hecht like a glove and she gives one of her best performances in years. Casting DeVito as Solomon was a stroke of genius…Ruffalo does not seem entirely comfortable in the role of Victor, although his performance improves as the play progresses…Kinney has taken the play at face value, rather than attempting to force his stamp upon it. Miller doesn’t need gimmicks.” Full Review

"Heady and dense...The whiz-bang company unfailingly balance one another. Shalhoub is so forceful and charismatic when quick-changing tacks, uncertainty about his intentions never abates. Hecht’s portrayal makes the backbone of her marriage believable...Ruffalo’s naturalistic performance is immensely nuanced....DeVito’s Solomon captivates...Director Kinney does a masterful job in regulating the ebb and flow of emotion...This is an extremely satisfying production of a superb play." Full Review

"The Roundabout Theatre has put together a splendid cast for director Terry Kinney’s straightforward and loving revival...After radical, dazzling director-driven revivals...it feels almost novel — at least, quietly reassuring — to have a lesser-known Miller work presented with down-the-middle sensibilities and expert care...Miller, whose parents lost everything in the crash, knew these lives’ sore spots. And this production knows how to make them still hurt." Full Review

"Dated, but always relevant portrayal of family discord, resentment, disappointment and frustration...The hearty laughs in Act I belie the pain and sorrow of what’s to come...These are award-winning performances by a stellar cast–Ruffalo filled with an unrequited resentment; Shalhoub digging deep to hide his emotional void; DeVito offering the perfect humorous relief, and Hecht as the discontented but compliant wife, as Arthur Miller forever seeks truth." Full Review

"Under Terry Kinney’s insightful direction, this revival is, most importantly, comedic...While the arguments are obvious...the issues drive to the heart of so much of Miller’s oeuvre...But there is also something very simple at the heart of the dialogue between these family members about what it takes to be a man...The entertainment is Coliseum-style, with Roman gladiators fighting for their lives." Full Review

"There are no shortfalls in Terry Kinney’s new production, which perhaps takes the play to its hottest level ever...In all, this is 'The Price' the way it ought to be done, which is to say thoughtfully but also with the exuberance that invites making bold choices, taking big risks and thus, keenly balanced, taking what might otherwise be a decent 'talking heads' play to the heights of great and meaningful American drama." Full Review

"Though 'The Price' is really and primarily about the strained relationship between two brothers, Danny DeVito, playing an outsider, hijacks this production and makes it his own. Perhaps Arthur Miller's most comedic character, Solomon was a vaudevillian 'acrobat' ('I was on the same bill with Gallagher and Shean in maybe fifty theaters,' he tells Victor), who delivers his every line with stereotypically Jewish shtick." Full Review

"Director Terry Kinney keeps us constantly pondering the connection between the past and the present in his straightforward production, which allows the playwright's words to come to the fore...Everything is highly realistic, especially the performances...'The Price' only begins to feel draining in its operatic second act...It all could easily become tedious coming from lesser actors, but it never does here. Instead, Hecht, DeVito, Ruffalo, and Shalhoub lead us in an emotional workout." Full Review

"Gripping if slightly muddy revival...'The Price' doesn’t so much advance as turn like a screw, deeper and deeper into the soft wood of memory...The actors, though already powerful and moving, sometimes look as if they need more time to figure out where they are...You’d think that a play so wordy and rangy would be unwelcome in today’s theatrical environment, which favors large, uncomplicated, single-minded action. But that’s why it’s so much needed." Full Review

"Bolstered by a first-rate cast, director Terry Kinney's carefully considered production shapes all sides of the arguments into compelling drama...The writing is far from black and white on either side...However, in the fractious second act, Miller's play shows its dramaturgical weaknesses, becoming circuitous and repetitive...Still, the strong cast ensures that the drama remains riveting...A very solid, sensitively directed production of a flawed but rewarding play." Full Review

"This production honors Miller's text readily, proving this antique will never go out of fashion...'The Price' is a play that talks in circles with purpose. It's a captivating character study...'The Price' has a resounding relevance. Kinney keeps the play in period, yet sprinkles hints of a modern sensibility. 'The Price' is an emotionally gripping play...No doubt about it, this was an immensely talented company...It may not have been the most remarkable piece of theater, but it was riveting." Full Review

"Under Terry Kinney’s stewardship, a gold-plated cast fulfills its mission in grand fashion...Kinney treats with respect both the text and the audience — and thereby delivers a perceptively embroidered portrait of a family rife with mercenary and other resentments...The play too transparently shows its hand...But the actors are all adept at embodying and drawing out the countervailing traits and motivations in themselves and one another." Full Review

"Under Terry Kinney’s direction, Ruffalo projects a sort of Brandoesque brooding, until exploding with a riveting fury. Jessica Hecht gives a typically quirky and credible performance as his wife...Shalhoub comes off slick as a man who says he had a breakdown, but is now happy...Best of all is DeVito who, despite an accent that comes and goes, is priceless as the man who takes out an egg and eats it (a hilarious scene)." Full Review

“It doesn't leave you eviscerated. Instead, it's a warmly wise portrait of a family that is on the edge of getting torn apart forever…It's an unexpectedly funny story, thanks to DeVito and Ruffalo's crack comic timing…Miller wrote beautifully, and ‘The Price’ is no exception. There are profound lines here…It's a plea for understanding, for empathy, that Miller wrote during the Vietnam War. It still resonates now in the midst of our own political troubles.” Full Review

“Shalhoub just keeps getting better with age…When he is onstage, the play is electric; but he doesn’t come on until the end of Act I. However, in Act I you have DeVito...Thank God for his arrival early on to lift the tedium that is known as the exposition or set up of the play…What a joy to have him on stage supplying the lighter moments. In the drab and thankless roles of Victor and Esther Franz, Ruffalo and Hecht make a valiant attempt to bring life to their characters." Full Review

“'The Price' digs complexly, if perhaps a little abstractly, into what's good and bad about people...Terry Kinney's new production manages to dodge, as some earlier revivals haven't, the earnest, schematic streak that weighs the play down. Coaxing a vital, personalized eccentricity from each of his four equally strong actors, he's come up with the best rendition of ‘The Price’ since John Stix's 1979 version." Full Review