All My Sons

Having emerged from Covid restrictions with a couple of comedies, the Phoenix Players decided on a drama for their latest production, and alighted on Arthur Miller’s All My Sons.  Miller is, for my money, one of the best playwrights of the Twentieth Century, so it was in a mood of expectation that I entered the auditorium at Stratford Methodist Church.  I was not to be disappointed.

All My Sons tells the story of the Keller family – mother Kate still hoping against hope that her son Larry will return from service in WWII unscathed; father Joe hiding from a deadly mistake; and son Chris trapped between them and the long shadow cast by his brother.  When Chris decides to woo and wed Ann Deever – previously Larry’s girlfriend – his mother must face up to the truth about her lost child.  Meanwhile, secrets come home to roost for Joe Keller, as the truth comes to light about a batch of faulty aircraft components which had led to crashes and the deaths of a number of pilots, and for which Ann’s father had taken the blame.  The story had some extra resonance at the moment, bearing in mind what is going on in Ukraine.  How many poor families are having to go through something like what the Kellers endure in All My Sons? 

In a strong performance as Kate Keller, tellingly described in the cast list simply as ‘Mother’, Hannah McBride clearly conveyed the grief and denial still swirling around a character who is unable to accept the reality of their situation.  Chris Leonard gave us a soft-voiced Joe Keller, complacent and seemingly at peace with the world around him, which made his eventual breakdown even more brutal as the truth came home to roost.  As the final member of the Keller family, Baz Stilinski made clear the uncertainty and frustration of the surviving son, Chris, trapped by his mother’s refusal to move on and his father’s misdeeds.

Lisa Cowley was excellent as Ann Deever, the beloved of both Keller brothers, believable, natural and comfortable on stage (even when her character was not).  As her brother, George Deever, a small but pivotal role, Nick Johnson showed the requisite anger at the plight of their father and faced off well against Chris Keller.  Great support was provided by Adam Clark, Meg Harris, Lisa Maxwell and Philip Leigh as the Keller’s neighbours, the Lubeys and Baylisses respectively.  Special mention to Dylan, who made the most of his two appearances as young Bert.  They all played their part in forming a convincing supporting ensemble. 

The play was well directed by Rachel Harris and Baz Stilinski (on double duty!)  I particularly liked the opening, with a very effective thunderstorm (congratulations to the sound and lighting teams) giving way to a well-paced introduction to the key players.  There were a few issues with masking from time to time, and I sometimes got the feeling that actors weren’t entirely sure where to stand.  But on the whole the play flowed smoothly.  There were unfortunately a few issues with lines in the pivotal middle act, which disrupted the momentum somewhat.  But the performance was well recovered in the final, dramatic scene, with the tension built effectively as the play hurtled towards its tragic conclusion.  The closing shotgun blast and resultant tableau was very well handled. 

The play was neatly staged in a single set representing the Keller’s back garden and the rear of their white clapboard house.  The house was nicely done – I particularly like the siting of a phone in the window that enabled us to see those taking a call – although I wasn’t entirely able to reconcile its internal layout with the external view.  A couple of trellis arches delineated the route to their neighbour’s gardens effectively, and the whole definitely evoked the feeling of post-war American suburbia.  Similarly, the costumes felt true to period and were well chosen.  I did wish that some of the actors would spend a little less time with their hands in their pockets, though!

The story of All My Sons takes place over a single day, and the sound and lighting team did well to convey the changing time, with the light decreasing as night closed in and the chirping of insects ever present in the background in the final act.  I thought it was quite brave to use lower light towards the end, but the levels were well chosen to evoke the time of day yet still enable us to see the actors' faces clearly. 

My congratulations to all at the Phoenix Players for a very good performance of this excellent play.  It’s a while since I’ve seen it, and I’d forgotten how powerful the final scene was.  Well done.  Thanks for the very warm welcome, and I look forward to seeing you again for something completely different – a pantomime called The Unlikely Holiday of Zorro – in 2023.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.