Play by Arthur Miller. Solomon, a ninety year old furniture dealer looking for a bargain. He engages his clients by forcing them into long-winded, philosophical discussions. When he finds himself in the middle of an uneasy union between two long estranged brothers, it seems he might have met his match - The Price is an engrossing and witty play by one of America's foremost playwrights.
West End London Premiere 1969 with Harold Gary
London Revival 1980 with Martin Friend
London Revival 1990 with Alan MacNaughtan
2nd West End London Revival 2003 with Warren Mitchell
3rd West End London Revival 2019 with David Suchet
Arthur Miller's other plays recently seen in London's West End include All My Sons, Broken Glass, The Crucible, Death of a Salesman, The Last Yankee, Resurrection Blues and A View From The Bridge.
The Price: London West End Premiere - 1969
Previewed 24 February 1969, Opened 4 March 1969, Closed 14 February 1970 at the Duke of York's Theatre
The original cast featured Harold Gary as 'Gregory Solomon', Shepperd Strudwick as 'Walter Franz', Albert Salmi as 'Victor Franz', and Kate Reid as 'Esther Franz'.
During the run a 'second' British cast took over featuring David Bauer as 'Gregory Solomon', Robert MacLeod as 'Walter Franz', Alan White as 'Victor Franz', and Beth Harris as 'Esther Franz'.
Directed by Arthur Miller with designs by Boris Aronson, and lighting by Joe Davis.
The entire original West End cast reprised their roles from the 1968 New York Broadway Premiere staging - Harold Gary and Kate Reid having been in the original cast, with Shepperd Strudwick and Albert Salmi who joined the Broadway cast later in the run. The original Broadway production run for 53 weeks before closing in mid-February 1969, while the original West End production run for a respectable 50 weeks.
The Price: London Revival - 1980
Previewed 18 October 1980, Opened 20 October 1980, Closed 6 December 1980 at the Shaw Theatre
The cast featured Martin Friend as 'Gregory Solomon', John Bennett as 'Walter Franz', Malcolm Rennie as 'Victor Franz', and Frances Cuka as 'Esther Franz'.
Directed by Anthony Cornish with designs by Bernard Culshaw.
The Price: London Revival - 1990
Previewed 1 February 1990, Opened 7 February 1990, Closed 24 March 1990 at the Young Vic Theatre
The cast featured Alan MacNaughtan as 'Gregory Solomon', Bob Peck as 'Walter Franz', David Calder as 'Victor Franz', and Marjorie Yates as 'Esther Franz'.
Directed by David Thacker with designs by Fran Thompson and lighting by Jim Stephens.
The Price: 2nd West End London Revival - 2003
Previewed 24 October 2002, Opened 28 October 2002, Closed 7 December 2002 at the Tricycle Theatre
Returned 13 August 2003, Closed 6 September 2003 at the Tricycle Theatre
Previewed 9 September 2003, Opened 11 September 2003, Closed 10 January 2004 at the Apollo Theatre
Following two acclaimed season at the Tricycle Theatre in North-West London, this production tranfers to the West End's Apollo Theatre with the entire original 2002 cast.
The cast features Warren Mitchell as 'Gregory Solomon', Des McAleer as 'Walter Franz', Larry Lamb as 'Victor Franz', and Sian Thomas as 'Esther Franz'.
Directed by Sean Holmes with designs by Anthony Lamble, lighting by Simon Bennison and sound by Rich Walsh.
Warren Mitchell's London theatre credits include the role of 'Davies' in Kenneth Ives' revival of Harold Pinter's The Caretaker at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre in 1980; and the role of 'Willy Loman' in Michael Rudman's revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre in 1979.
Des McAleer's London theatre credits include the roles of 'Duncan' and 'Macduff' in Declan Donnellan's Cheek by Jowl revival of Shakespeare's Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse in 1987.
Sian Thomas' West End credits include the roles of 'Dawn' in Laurence Boswell's production of David Williamson's Up For Grabs starring Madonna at the Wyndham's Theatre in 2002; and 'Liz' in Max Stafford-Clark's production of Alistair Beaton's Feelgood at the Hampstead Theatre, and transfer to the West End's Garrick Theatre in 2001.
"How much are a dead man's possessions worth? An old used furniture salesman, Gregory Solomon, climbs to an attic in an old New York apartment block that is about to be demolished. But it's not easy, this process of settling the inventory. Everyone in the family has a different view of the price. I have always found this 1968 play of Arthur Miller heavy-going... But the endearing Jewish jauntiness of Mr Mitchell, and the lacerating performances of Messrs Lamb and McAleer - facing down their acrimonious-sibling rivalry in a shocking spate of truth-telling - has converted me... The play is hard to watch, but impossible to ignore... Every detail, from the proposed sale of the contents for a mere $1,100 dollars, to the sudden remembrance of an old harp and a pair of fencing gauntlets, stings with reality." The Daily Mail
"There's an odd, eccentric yet pointed note in Miller's play and Sean Holmes's production, and that's provided by Warren Mitchell. He plays Solomon, the 89-year-old who has come to appraise and maybe buy the heavy brown chairs, wardrobes, tables, chairs and whatnot that clutter Dad's room to the ceiling. At first you might mistake him for comic relief. After all, he pants and potters in, a preposterous old walrus with the first of an endless store of Jewish wisecracks wheezing out from behind his white moustache... But despite the fun he's onstage to suggest that, with resilience and a bit of bloody-mindedness, people can survive almost anything: in his case more failed marriages than he can recall, a daughter's suicide, and recessions and depressions that go back "to the panic of 1904 and 1898"... Some performance, some production, some play." The Times
"Warren Mitchell is back in the West End, as one of many antiques that fill the stage of Arthur Miller's devastating 1968 family drama, The Price. And as Gregory Solomon, a decrepit, 89-year-old Russian-Jewish New Yorker brought out of retirement to appraise the contents of an apartment, Mitchell, who is only 77, is worth his dramatic weight in gold... Miller's play sets out to calculate the price each man paid for his decision. As a drama, The Price is as old-fashioned as the furniture stacked to the rafters, but there's nothing dated about its moral punch." The Mail on Sunday
"The play is one of Miller's best, and Sean Holmes's admirable production, which was first seen at the Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn, last year, does it full justice. There is a larger parable in the background about a society where everything has its price, but the main focus is on the family drama, with sterling performances from Larry Lamb as Victor, Des McAleer as Walter and Sian Thomas as Victor's wife. Best of all is Warren Mitchell as an ancient Jewish furniture appraiser - half-dodgy, half-wise, and much more intriguing than the purely comic turn you initially think he is going to be." The Observer
The Price in London at the Apollo Theatre previewed from 9 September 2003, opened on 11 September 2003 and closed on 10 January 2004
The Price: 3rd West End London Revival - 2019
Previewed 5 February 2019, Opened 11 February 2019, Closed 27 April 2019 at the Wyndham's Theatre
A major revival of Arthur Miller's classic play The Price in London starring David Suchet, Brendan Coyle and Adrian Lukis for a limited twelve week season
The cast features David Suchet as 'Gregory Solomon' with Brendan Coyle and Adrian Lukis as the brothers 'Victor and Walter Franz', and Sara Stewart as Victor's wife, 'Esther Franz'.
Directed by Jonathan Church with design by Simon Higlett, lighting by Paul Pyant, music by Matthew Scott and sound by Mike Walker.
This revival transfers to London's West End following an accalimed season at the Theatre Royal, Bath in August last year, with all the original cast reprsing their roles in the West End.
When this production opened at London's Wyndham's Theatre in February 2019, Neil Norman in the Daily Express commented that "Arthur Miller's 1968 play stands in the shadow of his greatest works. But this excellent revival might restore it to its rightful place in the sun... Beneath an avalanche of furniture frozen in the air, the cast dance in and around Miller's wordy, worthy play with grace under Jonathan Church's sensitive direction. David Suchet is magnificently roguish as the 89-year-old Solomon... A thoroughly engaging evening." Dominic Cavendish in the Daily Telegraph explained "Jonathan Church's exemplary revival of The Price... continues to offer unalloyed pleasure in the form of David Suchet's superlative tragicomic turn as a rumpled but resilient octogenarian furniture dealer brought in to assess (and bid for) a stash of family heirlooms in the attic of a New York brownstone awaiting demolition...The rest of the cast are top-dollar but he's the real deal, giving a tour de force to treasure for ages to come." Dominic Maxwell in the Times highlighted that "one of the remarkable things about Jonathan Church's revival is how vivid, contemporary and funny these characters are. It's blessed by one truly great star turn. David Suchet has an almost indecent amount of fun as Gregory Solomon... Minor quibbles in a play that comes across here as one of Arthur Miller's finest." Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail said that "I can't abide the pessimism in Arthur Miller, but actors love the swells and dips his characters must endure. And the acting is the reason to see this transfer from Bath. David Suchet is the stage actor of his generation. He scintillates." Fiona Mountford in the London Evening Standard praised how "this is a worthy, weighty addition to the West End scene, anchored by two splendid performances, from the inimitable David Suchet and Brendan Coyle... Jonathan Church's rich and powerful production... A classy evening." Sarah Hemming in the Financial Times hailed how "Jonathan Church's beautifully pitched production fields excellent performances, from Brendan Coyle and Adrian Lukis as estranged brothers Victor and Walter, from Sara Stewart as Victor's restless wife, Esther, and above all from David Suchet as the ancient Jewish furniture dealer, Gregory Solomon... Suchet is brilliantly precise as this wily old survivor: he brings superb comic timing to the business of flattening out his battered business card or solemnly eating a hard-boiled egg."
David Suchet's London theatre credits include the roles of 'James Tyrone', opposite Laurie Metcalf as 'Mary', in Anthony Page's revival of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night at the Apollo Theatre in 2012; 'Roger Cowan' in Kevin Spacey's production of Joe Sutton's Complicit at the Old Vic Theatre in 2009; 'Cardinal Benelli' in David Jones' production of Roger Crane's The Last Confession at the Haymarket Theatre in 2007; 'Gregor Antonescu' in Maria Aitken's revival of Terence Rattigan's Man and Boy at the Duchess Theatre in 2005; 'Antonio Salieri' in Peter Hall's revival of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus at the Old Vic Theatre in 1998; 'George', opposite Diana Rigg as 'Martha', in Howard Davies' revival of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at the Aldwych Theatre in 1997; and 'Henry Bolingbroke', opposite Alan Howard in the title role, in Terry Hands' revival of William Shakespeare's Richard II at the Aldwych Theatre 1981.
Brendan Coyle's London theatre credits include the roles of 'Mickey' in Ian Rickson's revival of Jez Butterworth's Mojo at the Harold Pinter Theatre in 2014; and 'Tilden' in Matthew Warchus' production of Sam Shepard’s Buried Child at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre in 2004.
Adrian Lukis' London theatre credits include the roles of 'CK Dexter Haven' in Jerry Zaks's revival of Philip Barry's The Philadelphia Story at the Old Vic Theatre in 2005; 'Tom' in Kevin Spacey's production of Maria Goos' Cloaca at the Old Vic Theatre in 2004; 'Hal' in Fiona Buffini's production of Moira Buffini's Dinner at the Wyndham's Theatre in 2003; 'Leo' in Jack Hofsiss' production of James Goldman's Tolstoy at the Aldwych Theatre in 1996; and 'Thomas Kyd' in Bill Alexander's production Peter Whelan's School of Night at the Barbican Pit Theatre in 1993.
Sara Stewart's London theatre credits include the roles of 'Myra Arundel' in Lindsay Posner's revival of Noel Coward's Hay Fever at the Duke of York's Theatre in 2015; and 'Liz Essendine' in Howard Davies' revival of Noel Coward's Present Laughter at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre in 2007.
"There's astute comic work from David Suchet's Russian-Jewish furniture dealer, Solomon. It's a wisdom-of-the-ages role that's easy to overegg — the guy actually peels and eats a boiled one — but Suchet keeps tapping it for truth as well as laughs. Brendan Coyle is quietly impressive: his very handsomeness seems doughy with disappointment here, before he's led recalcitrantly to the truth that 'we invent ourselves to wipe out what we know'. As the men thrash out their fraternal and filial debts, you may find yourself noting that The Price is all about duty, as if love and care cannot be spoken of." The Sunday Times
"Solomon is an 89-year-old acrobat turned furniture dealer who is called in by New York detective Victor Franz to value the goods stored in the attic of a soon-to-be-demolished brownstone. As played by David Suchet in a richly inventive performance, which even stretches to the flamboyant way he peels off banknotes, he is by turns dignified and wheedling, assertive and wily, dispensing homespun wisdom like a cut-rate version of his biblical namesake. It is no criticism of the performances of Brendan Coyle as Victor, Adrian Lukis as his estranged brother Walter and Sara Stewart as his disillusioned wife Esther, to say that interest flags the moment Suchet leaves the stage. They have to bring to life reams of often turgid dialogue about the family's fortunes during and after the Great Depression... For all the precision of Jonathan Church's production, it's hard to resist the conclusion that the material matters more to the author than to his audience." The Sunday Express
This production was originally seen at Bath's Theatre Royal (previewed from 9 August 2018, opened on 15 August 2018, and closed on 25 August 2018) when the cast featured David Suchet as 'Gregory Solomon', Brendan Coyle as 'Victor Franz', Adrian Lukis as 'Walter Franz', and Sara Stewart as 'Esther Franz'.
When this production was seen at the Theatre Royal Bath in August 2018, Michael Billington in the Guardian said that "in Jonathan Church's superbly acted production with David Suchet in the show-stealing role of an old furniture-dealer... The brothers are excellently played. Brendan Coyle as Victor not only has the right rugged solidity but rejoices in his self-imposed martyrdom. Adrian Lukis perfectly captures the guilt, insecurity and fear that lie beneath Walter's velvet-collared affluence." Patrick Marmion in the Daily Mail commented that, "at two hours and 40 minutes, this is a long, but fascinating, evening that subtly delineates the regrets and compromises that make a life - as well as the games we play to hide this from ourselves. But the beauty of Jonathan Church's forensic production is Simon Higlett's precipitous design, which places the four characters under a tsunami of furniture." Ann Treneman in the Times wrote that "David Suchet is Gregory Solomon, aged 89, appraiser of stuff and lives. He is brilliant in the role, completely owning the stage... The set by Simon Higlett - a roomful of furniture, piled on top of each other, hanging from the walls - is a triumph in itself. So is the price right? This one is." Dominic Cavendish in the Sunday Telegraph highlighted that "what's superb about the play is that it raises weighty questions with the lightest of touches. And that craft is answered by this revival, which serves Miller's thought-provoking themes with emotion-stirring truthfulness."
The Price in London at the Wyndham's Theatre previewed from 5 February 2019, opened on 11 February 2019 and closed on 27 April 2019