Directing Journal Entry 6: Death of a Salesman

This week, I read Death of a Salesman, blocked some more of the Little Women scene, and blocked the Anne Frank scene. I discovered a deep, unprofessed love for all stage managers on Thursday while I tried to block and take notes on the blocking at the same time.
I loved reading Death of a Salesman, though I had a little trouble keeping track of what was real, and what was his imagination. It was a great play that I would love to see performed, but I don’t think I would ever attempt to direct it. The set seems like it would require a big stage and a lot of construction, and though I tried to map it out, the playwright kept adding places until it became too confusing. It would also take a lot of coordination with the sound booth to make it work—kind of like Someone’s Knocking, and a lot of lighting. However, past the complicated set and effects, the play has a great core. It is a very moving piece that would be great to work with actors through.
One thing I noticed about the play was that though I could easily define Willy as the crazy protagonist, Biff as the boy he relied on to be successful, and Linda as his terrified and worried wife, pretending everything is ok, I could not define Happy as easily. It is clear that he wants his father to love him, and yearns after the attention Willy lavishes on Biff, but beyond that, his relationship with his father is unclear. Willy almost ignores Happy, who follows his brother around like a puppy, and is happy if anyone pays a speck of attention to him.
Another funny thing I notices about the play was how the boys, especially Biff address their parents. They always call them “pal” or ‘kid,” indicating to me that they see them as inferior or child-like. As Willy gets even crazier, or it begins to show more, other people much younger than him begin to call him “kid” and treat him as if he was a child.
The dynamics between the characters really intrigued me, and it would be great to see how a director would deal with those things. Would he have Willy react negatively to the pet names, or are they part of his world, something only the audience would notice? If so, he would have to make sure that the use of the pet names would be noticed by making them clear, while at the same time, not hitting the audience over the head with it.
I loved the way the play brings in scenes from the past and beautifully illustrates Willy’s train of thought, but while reading it and trying to figure out how I would stage it, I came to the conclusion that it might be easier to do as a movie, because the flashbacks could be performed in a clearer way that way. However, I do think it would make a beautiful play if it was taken on be a brave, competent, confident director who really knew how to make it work.