Saw this tonight (second preview) and thought it was absolutely wonderful, brought me to tears multiple times. For seating, I won a lottery ticket on the left side of orchestra and it was marked as partial view but if I had not known that, I wouldn't have thought it would be. The pillars in the set do obstruct certain entrances/exits, but I've certainly had more egregious views for a full view ticket in other shows, and I really didn't feel like I missed anything.
I thought Nathan Lane was really incredible. He embodied the character in such a way where you could understand how he might have once been charming enough for all the stories he told to be true, but he also brings a layered depth to it where you can see there's part of him that sees through the illusion and another part that all too desperately clings onto it even stronger for it. I found it physically hard to watch the scene right before intermission because of that and because I knew what was left to unfold in the second act. He brings just enough of his Nathan Lane-ness when needed, but otherwise managed to fully disappear into the role for me.
Laurie Metcalf as well is as good as you'd expect her to be, especially with the "attention must be paid" speech. I did have a little trouble seeing them as a couple as I think they lacked a sense of the physical chemistry, but her line delivery when talking about Willy and her defense of him were enough to convince me. The one major quibble I had with the show is that I'm not sure her last scene fully landed for me, but I also have faith that she'll find her way to it as previews go on.
For the kids, I thought Ben Ahlers fared better than Christopher Abbott, though the latter really grew into it by act 2. My opinion might've also been stymied because in his first big act 1 speech, I was seeing his back the whole time, but his last confrontation with Willy felt quite powerful. Having younger versions of the kids added a nice touch, and I thought they were utilized quite well in the staging.
I also thought the music was used very judiciously and I could also see it getting a score nom if any play gets nominated for score this year. The staging is very downstage center, and while simple, the production does feel like it managed to fill the giant Winter Garden stage, which I had my doubts about.
I had loved the last revival (my first time seeing it), but the play really hit different for me this time knowing what was to come. I also found it interesting to consider how the current job market has also changed, with tradespeople being more in demand and able to command fairly high salaries and how that plays in contrast to Willy's beliefs about what kind of jobs to aspire to. Assuming the ticket prices don't skyrocket, I'd love to revisit this again after previews once the cast settles in more, but as of now it is already a very very good show.
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