Written by orange• June 24, 2025• 1:26 am• American Coast Theatre Company, College Theatre, Costa Mesa, Review, Theater, Uncategorized

ACTC’s Death of a Salesman @ Vanguard University – Review

Photos by Amanda Fagan & Tim Huynh

Written by Patrick Chavis

American Coast Theatre Company presents: Death of a Salesman playing now at Vanguard University June 19 – 29, 2025.

Directed by Oánh Nguyễn, Vanguard University and American Coast Theatre Company present a deceptively poignant and trippy Death of Salesman. This piece is still a great reminder to never forget the important things in life, even amidst the chaos of the world and our minds.

Death of a Salesman follows our tragic hero, Willy Loman (Jeff Paul), a 63-year-old salesman, living in 1940s New York. Blessed with a loving wife, Linda (Susan K. Berkompas), and two healthy kids, Biff (Micah Munck) and Happy (Luke Desmond). Loman seems to have a pretty swell life because his life is dope, and he does dope stuff, but most importantly, at least to him, he’s well-liked. But there’s more going on than meets the eye. He’s in debt. Job prospects are dwindling, and he’s lost the respect of his son. As Howard (Ben Green) says in one of the scenes, “Pull yourself together, kid.” Can Willy get it together? And how dare he call Willy a kid? Wow, incredibly disrespectful, that’s his elder.

This version of DOASM expresses a deeper understanding of the material, a worthy experience whether it’s your first time or you’re a veteran of the material. The set design work from Fred Kinney, from all appearances, seems rather simplistic. Four brick wall backdrops, with two wooden ladders and perches on both sides of the stage provide the majority of the solid structures in the show besides the sturdy red vintage chairs and table. Like the premise of the show, there’s more to it than meets the eye. The brick walls and even the spaces in between symbolize the pathways and the mental and physical limitations in Willy. The set, in part, looks realistic but strangely off, especially when augmented with the lighting from Garrett Spady and the loud and booming sound design from Darryl Hovis.

High-caliber acting and sequences integrate so well that even for a second, you question if it actually happened or was it a figment of Willy’s imagination? Rarely making these moments overdramatic makes them even more unique and provocative. The haunting lighting creates even more symbolic connections with the light and the use of branches. The branches symbolize our withering connections with the natural world and the disconnect from the ever-growing urban lifestyle.

Acting:

The acting rivals some of the best acting you’ll find in most any production in LA or Orange County this year.

An ensemble of actors not only played their characters but also seemed to bring a little more to each scene. The woman (Gabrielle Paul) in her seductive scene with Willy was comedic but also quite tense.

Dane Hobrecht (Bernard) shows such depth with a transformative performance as Bernard. He is almost unrecognizable from the change of his voice to the costuming changes he undertakes in this show.

Have you ever heard the phrase “It’s nothing personal, it’s just business?” Ben Green translates this ethos into his performance with dramatic precision.

Through their characters’ journeys and performances, the Loman brothers as performed by Micah Munck (Biff Loman) and Luke Desmond (Happy Loman), display distinct lessons from the same situation can be learned or they can continue the tragic cycles. Munck is incredible in this piece, terrific dramatic range, full stop.

There is a striking and authentically spoken monologue from Susan K. Berkompas (Linda) in the show’s second half.

Jeff Paul’s (Willy Loman) committed but never too predictable performance kept it fresh and intriguing to watch.

In general, Death of a Salesman is significant theatre. One should hopefully visit it at least once in one’s lifetime, and if this is your first dive into its thrilling madness, you’ve chosen well.