A Review by Elyse Trevers
Works by playwright Arthur Miller have timeless messages. Is it any wonder that recent Broadway audiences heard a message about the U.S.’s current political imbroglio in the revival of “All My Sons”? Miller’s theme reminds us that we are all responsible for one another and his theme sounds particularly appropriate, given that more than 4,ooo American lives have been lost in the Iraq conflict, not to mention the thousands of Iraqi casualties
The play has a small and talented cast. Director Simon McBurney creates a sense of crowds by keeping the large stage filled. Off sides, non-speaking performers stand frozen in position or move slowly as if to suggest by their silent presence that there are always those who are being affected by the characters’ deeds.
John Lithgow plays Joe Keller, the owner of a manufacturing company that made cracked airplanes parts during WWII. He knowingly shipped out the parts, causing planes to crash and 21 American pilots to die.
Although Joe was prosecuted, he was found innocent while his meek partner was imprisoned. Both of Joe’s sons, Chris and Larry, went to war. Chris returned, changed and chastened by his experiences, but Larry’s plane went missing. Three years later, everyone except Kate, Joe’s wife, has accepted Larry’s death. Kate (Dianne Wiest) clings to the hope that Larry is still alive. When Ann (Katie Holmes), Larry’s former girlfriend comes to visit, the truth about Joe’s involvement is revealed with dire consequences.
Lithgow, a versatile Tony-Award-winning actor, is moody and bombastic. He has a pathetic almost haunting quality about him, and his short scene with a neighbor’s child seems a bit pathetic and needy. Yet as good as Lithgow is, he always seems to be the same character- whether he’s the hustler of a “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” or the vindictive journalist in “Sweet Smell of Success.” There’s nothing original about his portrayal of Keller.
Holmes is making her Broadway debut and her appearance has been a treat for the tabloids and some audience members who hope that husband Tom Cruise is nearby in the theater. A beautiful young woman, Holmes does an adequate job as Ann, daughter of Joe’s partner. Occasionally she’s a bit strident and too loud as if trying to measure up to the more polished professionals onstage.
Chris Wilson, the too-good Christ-figure son Chris, conveys a naivete that makes his goodness seems acceptable. However, he lacks the worldliness and edge that the war would have given him. His character speaks of the men who died but Wilson doesn’t project the anger or sharpness.
As usual, Dianne Wiest gives a marvelously nuanced performance. She has the mother tiger attitude and can be ferocious, especially when fighting to get others to acknowledge that Larry could still be alive. Yet she also suggests a fragility and vulnerability that makes one want to protect her. Wiest makes Kate an equal partner in the marriage; she’s not just Joe’s wife.
Tom Pye’s scenic design is notable for its simplicity and sparseness. The play opens to a tree which falls down before the dialogue begins. Onstage there’s only a chair, a door and door frame and a screen upon which the image of a house is imposed. Later the play shows some grainy movies to elucidate the action. Sometimes the moving images detract from the dialogue.
It’s almost inevitable to compare “All My Sons” to Miller’s masterpiece “Death of a Salesman.” Although both the plays have central characters who are self-destructive males, they both also feature strong resilient women. When the roles are handled by superb actresses of Wiest’s caliber, the mother/wife becomes a focal figure, but sadly is the one left to pick up the pieces. In “Death of a Salesman,” Willy Loman fails to come to grips with the realities of the world while in “All My Sons” Keller learns the lessons but is unable to face what he has done. Although director Simon McBurney’s version of the Miller play is not impressive, the drama’s message still resounds. Whether it’s wartime or bleak economic difficulties, Miller reminds us that we are all connected and are responsible for one another.
