Worth The Price of admission.
Rob Candy as Victor and Bonnie Gray as Esther in the Village Playhouse
production of The Price.
Courtesy/R Rayfield
A family forced to make difficult decisions in the wake of a financial meltdown. Estranged brothers with one last shot at reconciliation. With its exploration of choices, regrets, and resentments, Arther Miller's The Price - now playing at the Village Playhouse in Bloor West Village - still resonates today, transcending its setting, that of a Manhattan brownstone in 1968.
One of Miller's lesser known works, The Price is, on the surface, a simple, straightforward play, taking place in real time in a single scene on an unchanging set. Two brothers who haven't seen each other in many years come together to dispose of the family furniture following the death of their father. Victor, who dropped out of college to support the family after they lost millions in the 1929 stock market crash, now faces retirement after 28 years as a cop. Walter, on the other hand, continued his studies and became a successful, if cynical, doctor. Together with Solomon, an aged furniture dealer, and Victor's wife, Esther, they must decide on a price for the family's remaining possessions.
But what seems simple quickly becomes complicated. 'The price' in question shifts from the price of furniture to the price we pay for the choices we make in life. Trapped by the consequences of his decisions, Victor realizes the price he has paid only in retrospect. As he puts it, "the big decision is always the one you don't realize you're making." Confronted with the broken dreams and fractured relationships that constitute his price, Victor must first reconcile with himself if he is to have any chance of reconciling with his brother.
Though very entertaining and frequently funny, this is first and foremost a play about pain - long-held grievances and deep-seated wounds.
The challenge with a play of this vintage is to keep it fresh and make it relevant to today's audiences. To do so while remaining true to the playwright's vision is harder still. In this case, first-time director John Corcelli has chosen a traditional treatment, confident that the timelessness of the play's themes compensates for its age. If anything, the dated financial figures are played for laughs - the exorbitant movie tickets, for example, at $2.50 a pop. Later, though, a nest egg of $4,000 is treated in all seriousness as a princely sum. While this tried and true approach works, the play is ripe for a complete update, particularly since it deals with the aftermath of an economic upheaval.
As Victor, Rob Candy is genuine and believable. Though he comes across as slightly stiff in the first act, he hits his stride in the more emotional second act. Paul Soren is relaxed and more than capable as Walter, while Bonnie Gray works hard to find depth in an otherwise limited role as Victor's frustrated wife, who's tired of "pushing up against a door for 25 years." Jack Berke, though a little too breathless at times, nails Solomon's accent and manners, breathing life into a somewhat one-dimensional, stereotypical character.
An appropriately intimate venue for a play about relationships, the Village Playhouse can accommodate 160, with seats just feet from the stage. With its low ceiling and small cluttered stage, the theatre connects the performers with the audience. The stylish costumes complete the authentic experience.
The Price runs until April 3. Single show prices are $20 for adults and $16 for students and seniors. For tickets, call 416-767-7702.