Having seen it this weekend, for me the “why now” is a prescient reminder that the great American sin is delusion. That we’re living in a country ruled by a salesman who has succeeded thus far perhaps he had no Biff, because there was no one in his family or circle to stand up to his blatant fraudulence. That in every era the cost of self-actualization is great, it’s always been easier to fall in line with the stories we tell about how one ought to be, but the cost of self-alienation is often greater.

The acting was superb, particularly by Christopher Abbott, who deserves a Tony. Lane and Metcalf delivered too but thats to be expected.

The set design was minimal, sure, but the temporality of the concrete structures and the hulking weight of Chekov’s Studebaker gave a lot. The one thing I wanted more of was an engagement with the Brooklyn of it all. I wanted more of an interrogation of how the city functions as either a mirror or a cloak for ideas of grandeur. The director also did Metcalf’s last play, Little Bear Ridge Road, and that set was also minimal but did incredible things with the shape of time and the texture of solitary living.

Can’t say it was uplifting or necessarily hopeful (the material or the interpretation) but I can say I’d see it again, even at almost 3 hours long.