Arthur Miller’s career-breaking play, ‘All My Sons’ centres on an all-American family in crisis. It is a social drama investigating the ties between social, familial, and individual responsibilities. Kate and Joe Keller are middle-aged parents of adult sons; Larry, missing in action since 1943, and Chris, a returned veteran now working in the family business. They live between the Bayliss family and the Lubeys in a town where everyone knows everyone’s history… and has an opinion on their business. Given the Keller’s engineering business was responsible for providing defective parts to the military during the war, many people blame Joe Keller for the deaths of 21 airmen. He has been acquitted at appeal but his former neighbour and employee, Steve Deever, is still in prison carrying the blame. Their son, Chris Keller, is an idealist who has found the transition back from wartime tricky. He misses his compatriots who were killed in action and feels that the nation does not value the sacrifice that his men paid. Despite now working with his father, he is uncomfortable with the financial success the war brought to many manufacturers (a reflection of Miller’s own disgust at the profiteering nature of America’s war-time economy). On this summer day, Chris awaits a visit from Annie Deever, Steve’s daughter and the sweetheart of his missing brother Larry. It’s been so long that Larry went missing that Chris believes him dead and is hoping to win Annie’s hand in marriage for himself. His mother Kate is not prepared to even consider that Larry isn’t alive somewhere in the world. Her grief seems to consume her, and she is both fragile and volatile - prone to emotional outbursts. As the day unfolds we meet both sets of neighbours, each providing more contrast and texture to the Kellers’ story, and then both Annie and, eventually, George Deever. Annie and George have believed Joe’s version of the faulty parts episode and turned their back on their father Steve. The secrets, dreams, and disappointments each member of the story brings with them unfold along with the day and life will change for all of them before the next day dawns.
The play opens with a prequel style storm, lightning flashes catching the silhouette of a woman on the porch of a mid-Western suburban property. This was well handled by the tech team, setting the standard for the evening. The lighting throughout was lovely, deftly carrying us through almost 24 hours. At first glance, the set was pleasing to look at – a traditional wooden board house (with both porch and a cellar) lit within as appropriate, sat in a picket-fenced, tree-lined garden. But if the devil is in the detail then a little more thought was needed. Doors taller than upper floor windowsills, green leafy trees with autumn leaves piled around them, fruit on a tree much too young and small, and trunks that finished way below the sightlines, left it feeling slightly awkward – but the spirit was clear, and the staging served its practical purpose very well. As each character appeared, it was clear that the wardrobe department have an excellent eye for detail. Every costume was not only historically appropriate but suited the character perfectly.
The cast of ten were very much an ensemble. Perusal of the programme (a very professionally produced item) shows us this is a cast with many years of experience amongst them. The American accents were smooth and natural in each actor – and, as an added bonus, appeared to be from broadly the same corner of the US! Diction and clarity were excellent - in a very wordy piece, I missed nothing. Special mention must go to Leo Chandler, the young performer who took the role of Bert. He was an absolute asset, and I am sure he has a long future on stage ahead of him. Amongst the adults there were some cracking performances. Tom Broughton and Katie Cullen as Chris and Annie portrayed beautiful, tentative moments in Act 1, sharing an authentic range of emotions and establishing themselves as a couple at odds with their elders. Cullen’s elegant posture and beauty enhanced a lovely performance. Broughton, as Chris, was, for me, the lynchpin of this production. He gave a considered and controlled performance – if any criticism were to be made, his body language was not always appropriate to an ex-serviceman of the 1940s. Were he to shed his contemporary characteristics for a more formal mid-century demeanour, he would be utterly outstanding.
Joe Meighan brought a real change of energy as George. Despite playing a character packed with anger and betrayal, and not appearing until Act 2, Meighan’s enthusiasm for his craft exuded from under his hat. Loui Quelcutti, Colin Rice, Sasha Carrillo and Ann Sutcliffe all played the neighbours well, a strong group of secondary characters is a director’s dream and Carole Carr is certainly blessed here. Nowhere was experience more clear than in David Beddy (Joe Keller) – Beddy is clearly comfortable on the Garrick stage, showing no fear of silent, solo business he approached this role with calm and certainty. Brigid Hemmingway (Kate) is by no means a newcomer but against the mountain of experience, she appeared to be the more naive performer. She made a valiant attempt at a huge, emotionally complex role but didn’t quite have the range required to keep her character authentic.
This was my first visit to the Altrincham Garrick and I had a superb evening, this is a company who clearly take themselves and their productions seriously – amateur or not, they aim high. Overall, this was a good performance, thoroughly enjoyed by the audience and well-worth making the effort to see. I hope to be back in the very near future.
Reviewer - Justine Sutcliffe
on - 15.11.22
on - 15.11.22
Thank you for your detailed review Justine.
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