Arthur Miller’s much loved classic, Death of a Salesman, opens this weekend at the Festival Theatre for a limited two week season. After successful seasons in Melbourne and Brisbane, the South Australian premiere arrives with much anticipation.
This production has received widespread acclaim and exceptional reviews. The production stars Adelaide-born Golden Globe, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor Anthony LaPaglia as Willy Loman, and it also marks LaPaglia’s stage debut at the Festival Theatre.
Death of a Salesman follows Willy Loman, an ageing salesman struggling to reconcile his dreams of success with the reality of his life and family. More than seven decades after Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play first premiered, its themes of ambition, family, identity and the pursuit of the American Dream remain as resonant as ever.
Starring alongside LaPaglia is Alison Whyte (A Streetcar Named Desire, The Twelve), Josh Helman (The Pacific, Mad Max: Fury Road) as Biff, Ben O’Toole (The Water Diviner, Hacksaw Ridge) as Happy, Anthony Phelan (Boy Swallows Universe) as Uncle Ben, Marco Chiappi (Coriolanus) as Charley, Paula Arundell (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) as The Woman and Elizabeth Blackmore (Troy) as Miss Forsythe.
Josh Helman, who plays Biff Loman, has worked across both stage and screen with an impressive list of credits. Film credits include George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road and Mad Max: Furiosa, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse, Jack Reacher, Animal Kingdom, Thirteen Lives, Feast of the Seven Fishes, Undertow, My Name is Lenny, and Monster Hunter. On stage, Josh’s credits include John Pollono’s Rules of Seconds and Small Engine Repair.
Glam Adelaide spoke to Josh about his time working on X-Men and Mad Max, his connection to Death of a Salesman as well as what it is about the performing arts and acting that he loves.
“I have always had a desire to do it, to be a part of this performing and acting world. I was compelled by it in some way. At times it has been hard work, there’s always a lot of rejection in this industry, but I have been fortunate enough to have had some incredible opportunities come up and some of them have led to bigger projects as well.”
Josh shared with Glam Adelaide about his work in the blockbuster X-Men and Mad Max films.
“Talk about pinch yourself moments. Those were two moments where I absolutely couldn’t believe my luck. I remember working on a tiny independent film in 2012 and the casting team for Mad Max were putting the brief out for auditions. I made the tape and sent it off into the ether and didn’t hear anything. I assumed that nothing was going to happen but months later I was asked to go to Sydney to meet with some of the creatives and writers to do an audition, but there was no script or anything which was actually quite relaxing for me. It was the most amazing six hour process of playing games, doing improv and all sorts of things. The following week I was offered the role, and it was an amazing process of six months in Africa making the film. I became friends with Nick Hoult whilst filming and we would hang out and watch The Great British Bake Off together. He mentioned he was going to be out the following year filming the next X-Men film. I was jealous as I loved those movies when I was a teenager. Low and behold, I also ended up with an audition for the films and months later I was on set filming X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse.”
This current tour of Death of a Salesman is a reprise after a successful production in Melbourne in 2023/2024, in which Josh also played Biff Loman.
We asked Josh what it is like reprising a role several years later and what has changed with his approach over time.
It’s really fascinating. I’ve not experienced this before in terms of reprising the same character in the same show. When it came about, I wanted to see what new things there were to explore and find within the role. This is one of the best pieces of writing ever created. Approaching the role now, I’ve had a few years of growth as a person and as an actor, which has given me a very different insight. The piece was obviously written many, many years ago, but its themes and topics are still so current and it’s been interesting to look at with the knowledge of everything happening in our world today.”
More than seven decades after its premiere, Death of a Salesman has captivated critics and audiences alike. Willy Loman’s struggle with ambition, family, success and the American Dream still resonate today.
“Arthur Miller is such a humanist. Our set is a giant set of bleachers on a sports field and we sit on them the whole show watching everything play out in front of us. I think it’s a really beautiful metaphor for life and watching life play out around us. The themes also speak so loudly. One of Willy’s opening lines is about how the population is getting out of control, which always gets a laugh. I also love the themes around family, the interpersonal relationships and the culture of being in a family where things aren’t talked about and the difficulty of being honest with the ones that you love.”
The Adelaide season of Death of a Salesman runs for a limited season between September 26th and October 4th, 2026 at the Adelaide Festival Theatre.
“I’m very stoked that we get to take this show to Adelaide. I was born in Adelaide and while I didn’t grow up there, I have a connection to the town. We have had an extraordinary response so far with the production and people have come out in droves to see it. I hope that Adelaide audiences embrace the show and aren’t afraid of the themes that might be in it. It really is just a stunning piece of theatre.”
Presented by GWB Entertainment, Andrew Henry Presents with Adelaide Festival Centre.
Tickets on sale now.
Death of a Salesman
Adelaide Festival Theatre – Adelaide Festival Centre
September 26th – October 4th, 2026
https://salesmanaustralia.com.au/
Photo credit: Supplied
