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Jet · 02-04-2014, 07:33 PM

Philip Seymour Hoffman is on my mind and, like many of you, I am saddened by his passing. I have spent the last few nights with Philip Seymour Hoffman and his work on film. But if I could have a few more hours with him, it would be to spend an evening with him on Broadway watching his interpretation and portrayal of Willy Loman in Arthur's Miller's Pulitzer Prize winning play, Death of A Salesman written in 1949.

Willy Loman is one of the greatest roles handed to an actor who is capable of intense character studies. Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of those actors and I envy anyone who had the rare privilege of seeing his performances within a theater's length of him. Lee J. Cobb is known for launching the role on film, but Philip Seymour Hoffman undoubtedly finishes one of Arthur Miller's greatest works on stage. I can't imagine anybody stepping into this role or equaling Hoffman's metamorphosis as the worn-down Loman; it is the perfect role for this actor who handled intense characterizations seamlessly.

For me, Arthur Miller is one of the greatest dramatists of his time and in the ranks of Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams. These writers were brilliant in their intense studies of personal and social issues. Most memorably, The Ice Man Cometh, O'Neill, Williams' Glass Menagerie or Michael Gazzo's Hatful of Rain, from 1957, which exposed drug addiction.

My favorite work of Miller is the film All My Sons featuring Burt Lancaster and Edward G. Robinson. I have also read The Crucible as a script and as Miller's genius to expose McCarthy-ism as a witch hunt of the early 1950s. Although set in the 17th century, Miller's uses this vehicle to lambast the McCarthy hearings on anti-American activities and Communism in the early 1950s. Brilliant allegories.

Sidebar: this is not a political post, but my own take of Miller's work as a dramatist only.

Miller was incredible in his challenges of his own characters to examine themselves. Willy Loman is that kind of character in Death of A Salesman as as a weary, bitter, hard-ridden, working class salesman who examines and re-examines his life. Although produced on film with Lee J. Cobb and Dustin Hoffman, this role is really written for the stage. I can only imagine that the the mix of Miller and Hoffman together must have been an incredible experience. I would have given anything to see Philip Seymour Hoffman close up as an actor—just that far away from me—with Miller.

My thoughts, today, are on the accounts of Hoffman's death and my own private time viewing of his works on film from the last 15 years. If I could have experienced Hoffman on stage—it would have completed his repertoire for me and given me yet, another new dimension of this incredible actor on stage. I'll miss him.

02-04-2014, 07:33 PM	#12061
Jet Timed Out - TOS Drama How Do You Identify?: .. Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: .. Posts: 3,471 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 292 Thanked 2,647 Times in 1,293 Posts Rep Power: 0	Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman is on my mind and, like many of you, I am saddened by his passing. I have spent the last few nights with Philip Seymour Hoffman and his work on film. But if I could have a few more hours with him, it would be to spend an evening with him on Broadway watching his interpretation and portrayal of Willy Loman in Arthur's Miller's Pulitzer Prize winning play, Death of A Salesman written in 1949. Willy Loman is one of the greatest roles handed to an actor who is capable of intense character studies. Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of those actors and I envy anyone who had the rare privilege of seeing his performances within a theater's length of him. Lee J. Cobb is known for launching the role on film, but Philip Seymour Hoffman undoubtedly finishes one of Arthur Miller's greatest works on stage. I can't imagine anybody stepping into this role or equaling Hoffman's metamorphosis as the worn-down Loman; it is the perfect role for this actor who handled intense characterizations seamlessly. For me, Arthur Miller is one of the greatest dramatists of his time and in the ranks of Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams. These writers were brilliant in their intense studies of personal and social issues. Most memorably, The Ice Man Cometh, O'Neill, Williams' Glass Menagerie or Michael Gazzo's Hatful of Rain, from 1957, which exposed drug addiction. My favorite work of Miller is the film All My Sons featuring Burt Lancaster and Edward G. Robinson. I have also read The Crucible as a script and as Miller's genius to expose McCarthy-ism as a witch hunt of the early 1950s. Although set in the 17th century, Miller's uses this vehicle to lambast the McCarthy hearings on anti-American activities and Communism in the early 1950s. Brilliant allegories. Sidebar: this is not a political post, but my own take of Miller's work as a dramatist only. Miller was incredible in his challenges of his own characters to examine themselves. Willy Loman is that kind of character in Death of A Salesman as as a weary, bitter, hard-ridden, working class salesman who examines and re-examines his life. Although produced on film with Lee J. Cobb and Dustin Hoffman, this role is really written for the stage. I can only imagine that the the mix of Miller and Hoffman together must have been an incredible experience. I would have given anything to see Philip Seymour Hoffman close up as an actor—just that far away from me—with Miller. My thoughts, today, are on the accounts of Hoffman's death and my own private time viewing of his works on film from the last 15 years. If I could have experienced Hoffman on stage—it would have completed his repertoire for me and given me yet, another new dimension of this incredible actor on stage. I'll miss him.