Kevin Isola, photo by T. Charles Erickson
(RED BANK, NJ) — There's something wonderful about seeing an Arthur Miller play performed on stage. I don't think any playwright ever connected with families and the internal drama within family relations like Miller did. One such example is The Price, which Two River Theater is presenting through June 29, 2025. It's a play rarely performed in the area, but the production directed by Brandon J. Dirden is highly recommended and furthers the powerful theme that runs through so many of Miller's works.
The Two River Theater production stars Kevin Isola (Victor Franz), Andrea Syglowski (Victor’s wife Ester), Peter Van Wagner (Gregory Solomon), and Karl Kenzler (Walter Franz).
The Price is about clearing out the items left in the Franz’s childhood home before the building is demolished. The place has been empty for many years since their father died. It’s full of items that serve as reminders to growing up with wealth that was lost when the stock market crashed.
Kevin Isola and Peter Van Wagner, photo by T. Charles Erickson
Victor, a policeman, tried getting in contact with his brother, but several calls left to his office (he’s a successful doctor) went unanswered. Victor then found an appraiser out of an old phone book and hopes to have everything in the apartment sold at one time. He’s planning on giving half of the money from the sale to his brother.
Alone with the appraiser, Victor is ready to accept the original offer given to him. He doesn’t know if it’s a good offer or not; he just wants to get rid of everything and move on. As he’s getting paid, his brother Walter shows up unexpectedly.
This play is like going back in time to a period when plays were longer, more methodical, and every word seemed to matter. An era when surprise entrances occur just before intermission, ushering in conversation and speculation until the final act begins.
The appraiser is brilliantly played by Solomon. There are moments when he seems like a doddering old fool and moments where he seems like a con man out to purchase the items for much less than they are worth.
In fact, every cast member will likely have your perceptions of them change throughout the play. This is one of my favorite attributes of the play. The people you believe or root for early on may be the ones you’re rooting against later on. Likewise, it’s hard to pinpoint whether each character is a good person or not as situations change throughout the play.
In other words, it’s a messy situation. And that’s what families are.
Kevin Isola, Andrea Syglowski and Karl Kenzler, photo by T. Charles Erickson
As Walter points out once, the house they grew up in was devoid of love. With that in mind, why should they act any differently now? Especially after not speaking to one another for over a decade. Their lives are completely foreign to each other. This is one of many “prices” Miller hints about.
The price might be the cost of losing one’s family. Or the cost of grievances that stay with you throughout your life. Or the cost of not loaning a family member money when its desperately needed. Or the cost of giving up one’s dreams in order to help a parent. Or simply the price given to the items left in your home after your dead.
Great plays inspire conversation and The Price certainly does that. While it is not one of Miller’s best known plays, it was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 1968 where it lost out to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard.
Two River has assembled a stellar cast for this production and Dirden’s direction is magnificent. As the production enters its final week, be sure to catch it before it goes. Two River Theater is located at 21 Bridge Avenue in Red Bank, New Jersey. Click here for ticket information.
Peter Van Wagner, photo by T. Charles Erickson
