Arthur Miller’s first successful play was All My Sons which had its Broadway premiere in 1947. Over the next decade he wrote Death of a Salesman, The Crucible and A View From the Bridge. Familial relationships and social responsibility are integral to his works. His criticism of the American dream managed to have him questioned by Congress’ House Un-American Activities Committee. Free speech has always been vaguely conceptual. You just have to agree with who’s in power at the time.
All My Sons takes place in August 1947 after World War II has ended. Chris Keller (Benjamin Walker) has returned with evidence of injury in his gait. His brother Larry has been missing in action for more than three years. Mother Kate (Annette Bening) believes in her soul that her son will come home. Occasional news stories about such miracles fuel her belief.
Kate is a classic believer. She’s convinced “there’s God so certain things have to happen.” One particular line illuminates her character and simultaneously criticizes people like her at the same time. “Don’t be so intelligent – some superstitions are very nice.” Sadly misguided and heartbroken, Kate can also be quite nasty when it suits her.
Father Joe (Tracy Letts) is a recognizable Miller patriarch. A flawed individual who justifies his actions in support of his family. Or is it primarily for himself? During the war, a bad decision at his factory had his partner and next door neighbor sent to prison. Joe was exonerated. One family collapsed, the other thrived financially.
Ann Deever (Francesca Carpanini) was the daughter of the guilty man and has since shunned her imprisoned father. She had a relationship with Larry before the war. Brother Chris has invited her to visit. Wounds will be opened. A storm is brewing at the beginning of this play. A tree planted in honor of Larry snaps. Over three acts, people and dreams will be broken.
Jack O’Brien has staged a truly impressive revival of this play. The play is wildly melodramatic which, in a less assured production, could make this seem preachy and perhaps even naively nostalgic. Not here. The actors are all excellent. Their relationships – whether familial or neighborly – are effortlessly believable. The tension builds and builds and builds, slowly and continually. I did not see a moment that was not perfectly rendered. All My Sons is a time capsule of yesterday and also a hazy reflection into a mirror of our society today.
In the most difficult role, Mr. Walker’s Chris has all the necessary gullibility and goodness embedded in his soul. His slight limp reflects his desire to cover up his emotions and man up. The performance is thrilling for its ability to equal the intense but realistic dramatic levels achieved by Ms. Bening and Mr. Letts. The individualized tragedy of this family swept up inside the American dream has been beautifully and intelligently realized.
All My Sons certainly takes a hard look at the greed of capitalism and war profiteering. In that regard, this seventy year old play remains fascinating and very topical. The characters are from a different era of course. What is the same, however, is the self-preservation mechanisms employed by humans to survive and excel, however that is defined. That’s the dream we wish for all our sons and daughters. It’s the collateral damage that’s so hard to face.