In a staging that recreates the lives of four characters in the late 1960s, Elina de Santos honors the fascinating world of Arthur Miller, one of the greatest playwrights of the last century.
In the attic of a Manhattan Brownstone, Victor Franz (Scott Jackson), a police sergeant near retirement, waits for Gregory Solomon (Richard Fancy), an antique dealer who will appraise the furniture left behind by Victor’s father. Esther (Dana Dewes), Victor’s wife, is getting anxious about the prospects of their lives after retirement. The most controversial figure in the story is Walter (Jason Huber), Victor’s brother. They haven’t seen each other in nearly 20 years. Gregory sets the price, Victor takes the deal, Esther thinks the price is too low, and Walter shows up to reveal unknown facts about their father.
For such an extensive dialogue-driven play, the four actors deliver powerful performances that extract the core of Artur Miller‘s exploration on personal sacrifice and missed opportunities. Jackson conveys the insecurities of a character that is facing a leap into the unknown as he prepares to retire with no specific goal in mind. He plays his character with conviction and exteriorizes his conflictive state of mind, especially after learning from Walter that their father wasn’t all that broke after all.
Fancy is also fantastic as the octogenarian Solomon, a thoughtful and charismatic man who is good at valuing antiques, but even better at valuing life. Fancy’s pacing, delivering, and speech make his character thoughtful and likeable, a sort of performer jiggling wisdom and diplomacy with a hint of sorrow after a tragic experience in his life.
Huber as the distant and troubled brother delivers a relevant performance as well. His character creates tension, and heightens the complexities of familial relationships and the challenges of overcoming resentments that have dragged on for several years. Similarly, Dewes creates a memorable Esther, expressing the frustrations of a wife who perceives her husband as an indecisive man who sees his life slipping away, pulling her along to an uncertain future. Dewes does a great job transforming the initial resentment into a supportive stance, siding with Victor, showing that after all, their bond is unbreakable.
The Price is an exploration of sacrifice and an attempt to mend broken relationships. Finely directed by de Santos, this production displays the conflicts and motivations of the characters in a manner that feels contemporary and real. Her stage directions and her work with Rich Rose to recreate the attic full of furniture makes this production a visually rich experience for the audience, and keeps the engagement continuous with the humor and excellent performances by the cast. This is another outstanding production under the leadership of Pacific Resident Theatre‘s Artistic Director Marilyn Fox, who demonstrates, once again, her great taste in choosing meaningful and prestigious works for the LA theatre scene.
The Price
Pacific Resident Theatre
703 Venice Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
Opening at 8pm Saturday, February 28, 2026
Schedule: 8pm Thursdays – Saturdays; 3pm Sundays
Added 3pm matinee on Saturday March 14; no performance on Friday, March 27, April 3.
Closing: Sunday, April 12.
Tickets: pacificresidenttheatre.org
Playwright: Arthur Miller
Director: Elina de Santos
Executive Producer: Marilyn Fox
Associate Producers: Rita Obermeyer, Jody Fasanella
Presented by Pacific Resident Theatre
Cast: Dana Dewes (as Esther Franz); Richard Fancy (as Gregory Solomon), Jason Huber (as Walter Franz); Scott Jackson (as Victor Franz).
Creative team: TEAM: Rich Rose (Scenic Design), Leigh Allen (Lighting Design), Chris Moscatiello (Sound Design), Keilani Gleave (Costume Design), Kenzie Caulfield (Props Supervisor), Pietro Saibene (Production Coordinator), Ben Wendel (Stage Manager).
