"The Price" of Sibling Conflict

As both a folklorist and fan of live theater, I was excited to learn that The Price was coming to Petaluma.

Brothers - the world is full of them.

How they relate to one another has long been the topic of mythology, legends and folklore. Cain and Abel in the Western World and Anpu and Bata of Ancient Egypt are both classic examples.

Sibling conflicts exist in every culture and their resolutions (or not) appear over and over again. The idea of the stories is to explain how differences create misunderstanding and conflict. They show, by example, what happens when each brother has his own idea about how to live life, and about what is fair, right and wrong. Sometimes the conflicts and rivalry are resolved. But that is not always the case.

Cinnabar Theater brings the subject to light in their production of The Price, a 1968 play by Arthur Miller. This work explores the relationship between brothers after their father dies. Victor and Walter Franz have made choices that left them  estranged. It is during the process of finalizing their father’s estate that they come face to face with what has kept them apart.

I spoke recently with Charles Siebert of Healdsburg, an award winning actor who plays Gregory Solomon, an older Russian-Jewish antique dealer, about about brothers, family dynamics and more.

Siebert’s noted Broadway appearances include the 1968 musical "Jimmy Shine," featuring Dustin Hoffman in the title role; Neil Simon's "The Gingerbread Lady," with Maureen Stapleton; and the 1974 revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," with Elizabeth Ashley and Fred Gwynne.

His TV and film credits include including Dr. Stanley Riverside II on "Trapper John, M.D.”, "As The World Turns," and  "The Rockford Files." He also worked as a director for several successful television series including "Xena: Warrior Princess."

Q: This play is about family dynamics, in particular the relationship of two brothers who are reunited after their father’s death. Sorting out their father’s belongings tension about past decisions erupt.  What does your character Gregory Solomon make of the sibling conflicts?

A: He's been around a long long time and has seen many conflicts of this nature before. He has the wisdom of age (his name is Solomon after all) and understands this tension. He tries to help the brothers understand that little will come of their continuing animosity towards one another but at the end he simply accepts the reality, shrugs his shoulders, and says, "What can you do?" 

Q: Do you yourself have siblings? If so (or if not) how does your own experience inform your role as Solomon?

A: I am the oldest of four sons. Solomon resonates for me because of his heritage. He is described by the author as being Russian Yiddish. Essentially, my creation of the character is a channeling of our grandfather, Samuel Rosenblum, of Minsk (in what is now Belarus). My brothers and I have had our conflicts and estrangements over the years but all is well now.

Q: Sibling issues date way back and since then there have been countless ways for brothers to either reconcile or grow further apart. What do you think the playwright was after with this particular play?

A: I think he was after telling an age-old story, as your question implies, and takes great pains to not take sides. He presents both of the brother's points of view in a fair and clearly-stated fashion and leaves it up to the audience to decide if they will take sides or not. That's pretty good play-writing in my opinion.

Q: Theatre is an art form that allows audiences to experience a variety of situations between individuals as well as groups and their environment. Stage artists bring the dynamics to life in a way that reveals the multi-faceted nature of our shared humanity. As both a stage and screen actor what have been your most challenging roles?

A: They're all challenging and all rewarding and over the years I've played many from Shakespeare to Neil Simon, Chekhov to Sam Shephard. Many years ago I did a play by Joseph Heller called We Bombed in New Haven which was really about the insanity and futility of war (as was his great novel, Catch 22) and I found that profoundly moving in that at the end of the play the central character is responsible for sending his own son out to die in a war. That play has always stayed with me.

Q: What drew you to audition for The Price?

 A: The role. For an actor it's always the role. I saw that Cinnabar had scheduled this play which I knew and I knew what a great role Solomon is. At my age there are fewer and fewer great roles available and I want to lap up as many as I can and I'm grateful for this opportunity. I contacted Cinnabar and told them of my interest and here we are.

Q: What do you hope audiences gain from this production?

A: The satisfaction of recognition. There is a great cathartic effect to experiencing a work of art in which the audience sees a life situation they know well, elegantly worked out in front of them leaving them with a satisfaction, not necessarily in how the problem resolves, but rather in the exhilaration of the shared experience. We all have the same emotions, thoughts, hopes, dreams, disappointments, tragedies, but art makes them a bit more bearable. This play touches us and brings, for the moment, closer together.

The Price, opened on Broadway in 1968 and over the course of its Broadway career was performed 429 times.  It was nominated for two 1968 Tony Awards, for Best Play and Best Scenic Design. In 1971 it was adapted for television as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame on the NBC network.

Cinnabar's The Price runs March 22 - April 7. Show starts 8pm Fridays and Saturdays and 2 pm on Sundays. Tickets: $15-$25. For reservations, call (707) 766-7600. Cinnabar Theater is located at 154 Petaluma Blvd N.,  Petaluma. Details: http://www.cinnabartheater.org