Full house greets US playwright's iconic tale of failed dreams

"Today we have more opportunities, more options and open minds, and yet this play invites us to stop and look for the shadow of Willy Loman in ourselves. Each of us living in a highly urbanized society will see clearly the dream we have had," Lin adds.

The play is centered on the final 24 hours of the life of Willy Loman, who escapes into a dreamy recollection of his past after being exhausted by decades of work. Faced with a declining career, the character realizes that he has also failed his family in the process of chasing money. His first-born son Biff collapses in a climactic scene as he laments the unrealistic expectations his father had placed upon him. Willy Loman then decides to take his own life, believing that the compensation his family would get from the insurance company will be his final redemption.

"In fact, everyone in the family loves Willy Loman one way or another," Lin says.

"Everyone in the family has had disappointment in their love for each other, managed to reclaim their love, but eventually finds they cannot redeem each other. I don't want to treat Willy Loman as a small figure. To me, he is like an ancient Greek hero. A small man can always find a crack to hide in when the wheel of history falls on him, but a hero, with his unrealistic aspiration, always fights back … and although he fails, the search for meaning in life and the fight for it are all meaningful."

Willy Loman's wife, Linda, is played by Song Yining, an established Chinese theater actress who is also the wife of Lyu.

The first round of 14 shows is only the beginning of a long journey for the play, Lin says.

"We will continue polishing it (their performance). The characters will settle and grow into actors after two or three rounds of performance," she adds.

If you go

Death of a Salesman

7:30 pm, Tuesday-Saturday; 2 pm, Sunday, Aug 8-22; Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, 288 Anfu Road, Xuhui district, Shanghai.

021-6433-4560.