THE PRICE
Play by Arthur Miller, directed by Richard Stein, through Feb. 4 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, $34-$43, call (949) 497-2787; lagunaplayhouse.com
Set in the attic of a soon-to-be demolished house, amid stacked furniture and discarded belongings piled high, Arthur Miller’s “The Price” is the story of two long-estranged brothers trying to settle their father’s estate. Victor Franz (Herb Mendelsohn), a veteran New York City cop, had forgone a career in science to support his father during the Depression, while his brother, Walter (Steve Vinovich) went on to become an affluent surgeon. Esther Franz (Marilyn Fox), Victor’s alcoholic wife, alternatively sides with each brother, trying to force them to reconcile. To make her character even less endearing to the audience, Esther frequently bemoans the pathetic state of her life and places most of the blame on her husband. Apart from the drama between family members, there’s comedic relief in the form of the wily Gregory Solomon (Alan Arbus), a furniture appraiser who acts as the self-imposed family mediator. The 89-year old Solomon in a Yiddish-tinted accent equally dispenses advice, anecdotes, and flattery, while he shrewdly bargains with the two brothers for the furniture. Arbus, who played the role of the army psychiatrist in the television show M*A*S*H, delivers a sterling performance as Gregory Solomon. The rest of the cast is successful in revealing the subtle layers beneath what could have been stereotypical characterizations.
