When Paul Cooper read Arthur Miller’s &uot;Death of a Salesman&uot; in college, he didn’t give it a second glance.

Years later, as he rehearses his lead role of Willy Loman in the Albert Lea Community Theatre production of the play, things hit pretty close to home.

&uot;My dad’s in there,&uot; Cooper said of &uot;Death of

a Salesman.&uot; &uot;Mother’s in there too.&uot;

The story revolves around the last days of Willy Loman, a failing salesman, who cannot understand how he failed to win success and happiness.

Through a series of tragic soul-searching revelations of the life he has lived with his wife, his sons, and his business associates, we discover how his quest for the &uot;American Dream&uot; kept him blind to the people who truly loved him.

Cooper’s father was a housepainter in California in the 1920s. &uot;He was a hell of a painter. But then the Depression hit and he came to Iowa to farm. He saw that as having to settle for less.&uot; he said. For Willy Loman, being anything other than a salesman earning less than $50 a week was settling for less.

&uot;He’s been misguided,&uot; Cooper said of Willy. &uot;Pride is his tragic flaw.

&uot;And Mother did just what Linda (Willy’s wife) did,&uot; Cooper said. &uot;She’s what we’d call ‘an enabler’ today.&uot;

Cooper is probably best known for his roles in Albert Lea Community Theatre comedies. &uot;I think comedy’s easier,&uot; he said of his role. He’s been in a total of 21 plays for ACT.

&uot;Of course, everyone knows my story,&uot; Cooper said with a smile. &uot;I’m just a poor little farm boy from Alden who came to the big city and wanted to be famous.&uot;

And people will find humor in this play. &uot;It’s familiar humor and there’s a lot of it,&uot; he said. &uot;He grouses with Charlie, his next-door neighbor.&uot;

The irony is that Rory Mattson, who plays Charlie, really is Cooper’s next-door neighbor.

The dialog is a challenge for Cooper, not only because he’s on stage the majority of the time, but because Willie has a dementia and his mind takes him back to his &uot;good old days.&uot; &uot;Everything we see is how he remembers things,&uot; Cooper said.

Even though the play is a drama, its appeal is very broad, said Director Patrick Rasmussen. &uot;I don’t think there are any of us who haven’t had to go door to door. And a lot of men relate to this show very well.&uot;

Rasmussen said the cast has been fortunate in being able to sit down and talk about the play on different levels. &uot;It is an amazing script. For us to be able to do this now is amazing,&uot; he said.

And Miller is still considered the greatest American playwright. &uot;This is a drama people will appreciate. There is a strong consistency and pattern in the play,&uot; Rasmussen said. &uot;I think it will be a stimulating evening of entertainment.&uot;

Other cast members include Kris Graff of Austin as Linda, Scott Pirsig of Albert Lea as Biff, Josh Ausen of Albert Lea as Hap, Shawn Davis of Waseca as Bernard, Rosanne Holcomb of Albert Lea as The Woman, Orin Calhoun of Albert Lea as Ben, Mike Compton of Albert Lea as Howard, Christy Compton of Albert Lea as Sophie, Alicia Kaplan of Owatonna as Miss Forsythe and Jennifer Harrington of New Richland as Letta. Heather Earl is the stage manager.

&uot;Death of a Salesman&uot; runs March 27-29 and April 2-5 at the Albert Lea Civic Theatre. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m.

The box office is open from 3:30-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and until 7:30 p.m. on performance nights, and from 5:30-7:30 p.m. before Saturday performances. The box office number is 377-4371.