Angelina Jolie and daughter Zahara visit the cast of Death of a Salesman. Photo by Bruce Glikas.
Lake Highlands High alum Blake DeLong made his Broadway debut this month when he joined the cast of a new revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. After a critically acclaimed run in London, the play opened in New York Oct. 9.
Broadway has seen five previous incarnations of Death of a Salesman, but this one features an all-Black Loman family. Wendell Pierce (“The Wire,” “Jack Ryan”) plays aging traveling salesman Willie Loman, and DeLong plays Howard, his unsympathetic boss. Tony nominee Sharon D Clarke plays Willy’s wife, and Tony winner Andre De Shields plays Willy’s successful older brother.
Reviewers have praised the performances of cast members, including DeLong.
“The scene in which Willy has to beg his White boss (the terrific Blake DeLong) for a respite from the road and a job in the home office is on this occasion tinged with panic and racism,” writes Washington Post reviewer Peter Marks. “It culminates in a small, shocking moment: As Willy extends his hand in farewell, DeLong’s Howard reaches instead for a cigarette lighter. Willy’s humiliating status as a nonentity – as well as his ultimate fate – are both thereby sealed.”
DeLong played in rock bands while a student at the University of Texas, and he returned to Austin to earn a master’s in acting. His performance in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 earned him a nomination for a Lucille Lortel Award, Off-Broadway’s highest honor. He has appeared in various television series and feature films working for distinguished directors including Ava DuVernay, Spike Lee and Lee Daniels.
Death of a Salesman runs for 17 weeks at the Hudson Theatre. Tickets are available online here.
