"This is what I wanted to do, this is an American classic," said Wendell Pierce in an interview with Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts. Pierce stars as Willy Loman in the new Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Previews began September 17 in the Hudson Theatre for the show, which will open October 9.
Pierce transfers with the production from London's West End, along with his co-star and Tony nominee Sharon D Clarke. "To actually come home and do it on Broadway is a real honor. It's historic because I'm the first Black actor to play the role."
Pierce and Roberts discuss in the interview what that representation means, Pierce's anxieties taking on the role, and more in the segment, which aired October 5. Watch it above.
Miranda Cromwell directs the work, which follows a traveling salesman and his family who are caught up in the madness of the all-too-often unreachable "American Dream." It debuted on Broadway in 1949.
Joining Pierce and Clarke in the cast are Khris Davis, McKinley Belcher III, Tony winner André De Shields, Blake DeLong, Lynn Hawley, Grace Porter, Kevin Ramessar, Stephen Stocking, Chelsea Lee Williams, and Delaney Williams. Melvin Abston, Jerome Preston Bates, Brandon E. Burton, Maya Jackson, Lisa Strum, Chris Thorn, and Shona Tucker serve as understudies.
The production's creative team includes Olivier-winning and Tony-nominated scenic and co-costume designer Anna Fleischle, co-costume designer Sarita Fellows, Tony-nominated lighting designer Jen Schriever, Tony-nominated sound designer Mikaal Sulaiman, composer Femi Temowo, hair designer Nikiya Mathis, and music coordinator John Miller. Casting is by Erica A. Hart and Daniel Swee.
