THE THEATER 1949: DEATH OF A SALESMAN by Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman (by Arthur Miller; produced by Kermit Bloomgarden & Walter Fried) had Broadway in a fever of excitement from the moment it drew out-of-town raves last month. Last week, on Broadway itself, it caused even greater excitement, drew even wilder raves—"superb," "majestic," "great," "a play to make history."

Death of a Salesman is no more than an altogether creditable play. But it is also a magnificent try, concerned with something so simple, central and terrible that the run of playwrights would neither care nor dare to attempt it. It reveals...