“Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be,” Biff asks his father, Willy Loman, in Death of a Salesman. “All I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am.” He’s addressing Willy’s relentless devotion to the American Dream, a form of self-destruction at the center of Arthur Miller’s 1949 play. This new production, directed by Joe Mantello, has a formidable cast poised to draw new audiences to the classic tragedy. Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf lead, joined by Christopher Abbott (Girls) and Ben Ahlers (The Gilded Age). —Jeanne Malle