2/5: Death of a Salesman opens at Lakeland Civic Theatre

Willy Loman’s wife utters the lines that sum up the enduring quality of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman: “His name was never in the paper. He’s not the finest character that ever lived. But he’s a human being and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He’s not to be allowed to fall in his grave like an old dog.” Maryann Elder gets to deliver those words when she plays Linda Loman to Mark Cipra’s Willy in a production of the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play about a 20th-century Everyman, which opens tonight at Lakeland Civic Theatre. Martin Friedman directs. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. with performances through February 21 at Lakeland Community College Performing Arts Center (7700 Clocktower Dr., Kirtland, 440.525.7526). Tickets: $5-$15. — Michael Gill