All My Sons

All My Sons by Arthur Miller is an emotionally charged play that builds in tension to its dramatic climax. The drama is set in mid-west America just after the Second World War and follows the lives of the Keller family over a period of twenty-four hours.

Joe Keller (Tim Baker) is a successful businessman, who has made his fortune during the manufacturing of parts for military aircraft. He has spent time in jail but has been exonerated when Steve Deever, his next-door neighbour is deemed responsible for shipping out defective cylinder heads causing 21 planes to crash killing their pilots, whilst Joe is sick at home with the flu.

Joe’s son, Larry, was reported missing in the war but three years on Kate Keller (Allison Heward) his mother, refuses to believe he is dead and is convinced that he will return. 

Chris Keller (Wayne Young), her other son, would like her to give up that hope because he wants to marry Ann Deever (Emma Jane Brazier), former neighbour and daughter of Steve and Larry’s former fiancée.

It is the arrival of Ann Deever that starts the demise and unravelling of the American dream family in this complex and multi-layered drama.

This was a well cast production and Director Malcolm Congreve had brought out the best in all of the performers, keeping the pace going and the tension mounting to its dramatic conclusion. The production must have been both emotionally and physically demanding on the cast in order to sustain the mood and suspense required for this type of drama.

Tim Baker was a very convincing Joe Keller, commanding the stage at times, depicting the many varied emotions in his interactions, from the role-playing with young Bert (ably played by Tristan Marshall) to his obvious love for his wife and son, alongside his bombastic and defensive ruthlessness. Allison Heward was superb as Kate and her character development to full emotional breakdown was a pleasure to watch.  The mood swings portrayed ranged from warm heartedness to total anguish and her stubborn unreasonability was delivered with insight and perception of the character’s tortured existence.

Wayne Young again gave another outstanding performance as Chris Keller, his emotional struggles and idealistic beliefs were played out on stage magnificently. Both Wayne and Tim executed the show-down between father and son with a great degree of realism.

Ann Deever was charmingly played by Emma Jane Brazier, I wasn’t sure to start with if the portrayal and direction taken with this character would work but I was soon to be won round by her quiet inner strength, control and just a little bit of edginess.

Jake Baker managed to be menacing, charming and vulnerable as George Deever, Ann’s brother and certainly instigated the tension to be raised up on his arrival in Act Two.

Great supporting roles came from the neighbours David Ryder as Dr, Jim Bayliss, Kath Evans as Sue Bayliss, Rob Bound as Frank Lubey and Clare McNeil as Lydia Lubey.

The set was effective and I particularly enjoyed the attention to the smaller details of the rose petals and fallen leaves caused by the prevailing storm. Good lighting and sound created the ambience of the play.

Thank you Attfield Theatre for a great evening of drama.

 

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