Too Young To Die

Philip Seymour Hoffman will be starring in Death Of A Salesman on Broadway next fall.  Mike Nichols will direct.  Willy Loman may be THE role in modern American drama, so it'll be interesting to see what Hoffman, with Nichols' guidance, can bring to it.

The first reaction everyone has is Hoffman, at 43, is sort of young for the role.  Willy is supposed to be 20 years older.  But of course, Lee J. Cobb, who created the role, was only 37.  Still, he was the sort of character actor who always seemed middle-aged. On the other hand, in an exhausting role like this, maybe it's better to get someone who's playing older.  And there are flashbacks, as Nichols notes. (He better make sure to cast a very young Biff and Happy.)

When I heard about the production, I couldn't help but think of Synecdoche, New York, the 2008 film where Hoffman plays a theatre director who stages Death Of A Salesman--with leads in their 20s.  What's interesting is within the world of the film, we're led to understand the Hoffman's character is an innovative artist--he wins a MacArthur "Genius" Grant, in fact.  And watching the rehearsal of Salesman, where he stages Willy's car crash, you can even see what he's going for.