This revival of Death of a Salesman has toured on and off again and up and down Australia’s east coast since 2024. It’s a strong ensemble work, with Anthony La Paglia performing the titular Salesman, led by director Neil Armfield.

The show’s poster is awash with superlatives from half a dozen five-star reviews including one from Limelight. It’s a tall order to add anything meaningful to the critical conversation around this production. 

Alison Whyte and Anthony LaPaglia in Death of a Salesman. Photo © Jeff Busby

There are some positives so good they’re worth adding to the pile of praise. The looming bleachers of Ebbet’s Field that replaces the kitchen of the kitchen sink drama is a stroke of design genius by Dale Ferguson. It’s a character in and of itself, never letting the Loman family nor the audience forget the expectations Willy Loman’s son Biff has failed to meet.

The way Armfield moves the cast between reality and Willy’s hallucinations is a master class in directing and the choice to keep the cast on stage, in the...