| The Price | |
| Characters: | Victor Franz Esther Franz Gregory Solomon Walter Franz |
| Premiere: | February 7, 1968 |
| Place: | Morosco Theatre, New York City |
| Orig Lang: | English |
| Genre: | Drama |
The Price is a two-act play written in 1967 by Arthur Miller.[1] It is about family dynamics, the price of furniture and the price of one's decisions. The play premiered on Broadway in 1968, and has been revived four times on Broadway. It was nominated for two 1968 Tony Awards.
Miller stated that he wrote the play as a response to the Vietnam War and the "avant-garde plays that to one or another degree fit the absurd styles."[2]
The play opened on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre on February 7, 1968 where it played until the production moved to the 46th Street Theatre on November 18, 1968. The play closed on February 15, 1969 after 429 performances. The opening cast included Harold Gary as Gregory Solomon, Pat Hingle as Victor Franz, Kate Reid as Esther Franz, and Arthur Kennedy as Walter Franz.[3]
The Price was nominated for two 1968 Tony Awards, for Best Play (Arthur Miller, writer; Robert Whitehead, producer) and Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson). The Price lost in the "Best Play" category to Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. The play was profiled in the William Goldman book .
A UK revival of the play was staged from August 9 to August 25, 2018 at the Theatre Royal, Bath to mark the 50th anniversary of the original run. Directed by Jonathan Church, it starred Brendan Coyle as Victor, Sara Stewart as Esther, Adrian Lukis as Walter and David Suchet as Gregory Solomon.[4] The production transferred to Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End from February 5 to April 27, 2019.[5]
It will be revived in the Gate Theatre (Dublin, Ireland) in 2023, directed by Conleth Hill.[6] [7]
The Price has been revived four times on Broadway since the original 1968 production:
Notable Regional Productions:
| Characters | 1968 Original Broadway cast | 1979 Broadway revival | 1992 Broadway revival | 1999 Broadway Revival | 2017 Broadway revival | 2019 West End revival | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Franz | Pat Hingle | Mitchell Ryan | Hector Elizondo | Jeffrey DeMunn | Mark Ruffalo | Brendan Coyle | |
| Esther Franz | Kate Reid | Scotty Bloch | Debra Mooney | Lizbeth MacKay | Jessica Hecht | Sara Stewart | |
| Gregory Solomon | Harold Gary | Joseph Buloff | Eli Wallach | Bob Dishy | Danny DeVito | David Suchet | |
| Walter Franz | Arthur Kennedy | Fritz Weaver | Joe Spano | Harris Yulin | Tony Shalhoub | Adrian Lukis |
After the Great Depression, Victor Franz gave up going to college to support his father. After 30 years, Victor returns to sell his parents’ estate. His wife, Esther, his brother, Walter, and a canny furniture dealer have their own agendas. Victor must finally deal with his sacrifice.
— film by Mikhail Kalik. USSR 1969 year.
The Price was adapted for television, directed by Fielder Cook from a script by Miller, and broadcast as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame on the NBC network on February 3, 1971. David Burns played Mr. Solomon, Colleen Dewhurst played Mrs. Franz, George C. Scott played Victor Franz, and Barry Sullivan played Walter Franz.[20] The production was nominated for six Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Scott), Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Drama (Burns), Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama - A Single Program (Cook), and Outstanding Single Program - Drama or Comedy (David Susskind, producer). Scott and Cook won.
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Tony Award | Best Play | ||
| Best Scenic Design | Boris Aronson | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Play | |||
| Outstanding Performance | Harold Gray | |||
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Single Program - Drama or Comedy | David Susskind | ||
| Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | George C. Scott | ||||
| Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role | Colleen Dewhurst | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | David Burns | ||||
| Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama - A Single Program | Fielder Cook | ||||
| Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction or Scenic Design - For a Dramatic Program or Feature Length Film, a Single Program of a Series or a Special Program | John Clements | ||||
| 1972 | Directors Guild of America Award | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television | Fielder Cook |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Tony Award | Best Revival | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Revival of a Play | |||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Eli Wallach | |||
| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Tony Award | Best Revival of a Play | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Arthur Miller | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Harris Yulin | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Bob Dishy | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Lizbeth MacKay | |||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play | Danny DeVito | |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Revival of a Play | |||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Danny DeVito | |||
| Drama League Award | Outstanding Revival of a Play | |||
| Distinguished Performance | Danny DeVito | |||
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Revival | Wyndham's Theatre | |
| Best Actor | David Suchet | |||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Adrian Lukis |