Philip Seymour Hoffman to Play Willy Loman on Broadway
By
October 20, 2010
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN IN CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR, ALSO DIRECTED BY MIKE NICHOLS. FILM STILL COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES.
The Times‘ ArtsBeat reports today that Mike Nichols, director of everything from The Graduate to HBO’s Angels in America, will soon helm a revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman on Broadway next fall. It will star Philip Seymour Hoffman as Willy Loman. Linda Emond, who drew raves when she starred in New York Theater Workshop’s production of Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul and who recently played Hermione in The Winter’s Tale at Shakespeare in the Park, will play his long-suffering wife Linda.
As far as we’re concerned, the Tony Awards committee might as well just start engraving their 2011 awards now. Statistically, unless something goes horribly wrong, this group has great odds. Mike Nichols has six Best Director Tonys. Death of a Salesman won Best Play in 1949 and Best Revival in both 1984 and 1999. Philip Seymour Hoffman has been nominated for two of the awards, and Linda Emond for one.
The Times also points out that Hoffman will be a youngish Willy Loman—he’s 43, and the character is in his 60s throughout much of the play. But we don’t care, and we’re guessing audiences won’t either.
