Talented actor Adam Waxman stars in Arthur Miller’s famous production of Death of a Salesman, playing the role of Biff, son of Willie Loman. This play holds special significance for Adam, considering that his father, the late Al Waxman, played the role of Willie Loman, when it was performed at the Stratford Festival in 1997. The show opens on February 8, 2007 and runs through February 24, 2007, at the Guelph Little Theatre.

“Ten years ago I was reading lines with my Dad during his preparation for Death of a Salesman at the Stratford Festival,” says Adam. “I sat with him as he did his research and I often wondered what it would be like to play Biff.”

Ironically, the play revolves around a father and son who love each other deeply, but their relationship is fraught with misunderstanding. It addresses the painful conflicts within one family, but it also tackles larger issues regarding American values, by examining the cost of blind faith in the American Dream.

“There are many instances in this play that mirror my own life and so, I feel this play, this role, at this time in my life, is a serendipitous gift, because in creating this character and relationships with the other characters in this play, I have had to dig into myself, and confront similar issues to my character.

Biff needed to go far away to escape the pressure of his family and his own expectations; he spent years drifting from job to job and from one town to another; he struggled to define himself outside of his father’s value system. Adam has also had these experiences, and expresses them in his breakthrough performance.

Adam’s father Al said that when he was younger he had wanted to play Biff, but he knew that one day he would play Willy. Willy’s father abandoned him when he was young and Al’s father died when he was young; both Willy and Al had older brothers named Ben, who also passed away at a young age.

In Al Waxman’s autobiography, he wrote that he was radiant in his distinction between his relationship with his son, and Willy’s with Biff. When asked about the parallels between himself and Willy, he replied, “I am Willy Loman, with one important distinction - I’m a winner.” Similarily, Adam has seen himself as Biff Loman, with one very important distinction - his dad was Al Waxman.

Adam Waxman debuted his acting career at Shakespeare by the Sea in Halifax, Nova Scotia, playing Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. The following season was spent in Dorset, Vermont where, after successful runs of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest and David Mamet's Speed The Plow, Adam was accepted into the Stratford Festival classical theatre training Conservatory. He then appeared in the Stratford Festival productions of Henry IV Part I, and The Duchess Of Malfi.