To Director Guardino, ‘The Price’ Is Right for the Grove

Jerome Guardino doesn’t buy the argument that time has not been gentle to the plays of Arthur Miller.

Guardino, a friendly and excitable man who gets excited when talking about the theater, believes just the opposite.

“I know some people think his work is stilted, that the language is too rigid and doesn’t move people, but I don’t go for that at all,” Guardino said during a recent interview on the crowded set where he has directed the Grove Theatre Company’s production of Miller’s “The Price.”

Leaning forward from a rumpled sofa and waving his hands for emphasis, Guardino said he places Miller as “one of the two or three great playwrights” of the past four decades. And he declared, without hesitation, that “The Price” is “a masterpiece” equal to Miller’s more celebrated “Death of a Salesman.”

The notion contradicts the critics who faulted the play as verbose and self-pitying when it was first produced in 1968. But Guardino stands by it.

“Miller is still very important because his plays always have definite messages, usually profound ones,” Guardino continued, “and ‘The Price’ is enormously powerful because of its tremendous message that we all have great choices to make in our lives according to our responsibilities to each other. I think it was important then and it’s important now.”

In the play, two estranged brothers are brought together to dispose of their late father’s belongings. One brother, Victor, took care of the father, apparently sacrificing much along the way; the other brother, Walter, left home to become rich. Their interactions, as they come to terms with each other and their father’s specter, generates “The Price’s” tension.

The director’s challenge, Guardino feels, is to reveal the brothers’ opposing personalities and to mine what he believes is the play’s “ethical and moral core,” a message that needs telling to a generation that is so aggressively materialistic.

“I don’t know if I’ve accomplished that,” he confessed. “It’s difficult to know at times . . . . But, to tell the truth, I think I’ve come pretty close.”

The opportunity to direct “The Price” fulfills a wish Guardino has had since he first saw it produced in the late 1960s. By that time, he was a veteran of Broadway and Off-Broadway, having acted in and directed several productions.

He also has hit the touring circuit in the course of his 40-year career, appearing in or directing shows with such stars as Mae West and Jon Voight. Perhaps his biggest stage accomplishment was directing Voight in an acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” at the Studio Arena in Buffalo, N.Y.

Now a Sierra Madre resident, Guardino has directed various shows in Los Angeles including Allen Joseph’s “Anniversary on Weedy Hill” at Theatre West and Edward Albee’s “All Over” and “The Ghost Sonata” at the Group Repertory Theatre. A character actor, Guardino has performed in such films as “The Long Goodbye” and “Red Sky at Morning” and on such television programs as “Columbo” and “Matlock.” But the stage, he said, is always his first choice.

Still, it is not easy to find a regular and satisfying salary as an actor or a director, and Guardino has taken his share of odd jobs. He has sold used cars, among other things. And he barely hides his anger when talking about the financial problems that most theater groups face. A partial solution, he believes, would be more public funding.

He wonders why the United States doesn’t follow the example set by Europe. Theaters there, Guardino pointed out, generally thrive, and one of the major factors is that government helps pick up the tab.

“We just don’t have enough of that here,” he said. “The government puts money into the war machine but won’t do much to help out the cultural needs of its people. I think that is a terrible shame . . . it really puts theater at a disadvantage.”

He also blames theater itself, though, for not reaching out to find a new, younger audience. High school and college students should be introduced to the stage to ensure that live drama does not become merely an elitist pastime.

“Teen-agers have maybe seen one or two productions, and that’s not enough. They watch TV instead. I’m distressed by that fact because good theater can really illuminate your life; it can surprise you and affect you like nothing else.”

Guardino is optimistic, though. He is impressed by his experiences in Orange County, especially with the Grove, which he feels is trying to reach a general audience with thoughtful shows. He also admires the county’s South Coast Repertory, not only for its strong productions but for its educational programs, designed to involve the community.

“You see groups like those, and you know that theater will continue to survive, maybe even prosper. That has to be encouraging.”

The Grove Theatr e Company’s production of “The Price” by Arthur Miller continues through May 7 at the Gem Theatre, 12852 Main St., Garden Grove. Tickets: $12 to $15. Information: (714) 636-7213.