When in 2021, the Ludowy Theatre in Kraków directed by Małgorzata Bogajewska won the Main Prize of the Boska Komedia / Divine Comedy with Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, the jury emphasised that they were honouring an understated play that took its place on the fringes of prevailing trends. While many of the cast from that production return in Death of a Salesman (Piotr Pilitowski, Piotr Franasowicz, Kajetan Wolniewicz), director Małgorzata Bogajewska does not tread the same path once again. Arthur Miller’s classic drama gains a menacing relevance in today’s era of inflation and the repeated mantra of “rising mortgage instalments”. Yet, the Ludowy’s production avoids immediate commentaries and shies away from catchy slogans. Bogajewska and her actors, with Willy Loman portrayed by the phenomenal Piotr Pilitowski, offer a completely different tale: a chronicle of the internal breakdown of a good person who has fallen out of the game of life. The tale emphasises that reality cannot be cheated. Death of a Salesman is psychological theatre of the highest order, profoundly melancholic, yet leaving a trace of hope. Since its premiere, it has enjoyed unwavering success with audiences, who as a rule react to it in one way. With sincere emotion.