All My Sons: A Magnificent and Poignant Portrait of the American Family

Deborah Strang as Kate Keller. – Photo by Craig Schwartz

By Nathaniel Cayanan

Just in time for legendary playwright Arthur Miller’s 100th birthday, A Noise Within Theatre Company has brought to the stage his earliest success, All My Sons. Directed by Geoff Elliott and set in post-World War II Columbus, Ohio, the play follows a middle-aged factory owner, Joe Keller, his wife Kate, who’s in denial about the death of their son Larry, and their highly moral, war veteran son Chris. After Chris decides to propose to Larry’s ex-sweetheart and daughter of Joe’s imprisoned business partner, distrust and paranoia slowly seep into the fragile pleasant life of the Kellers. Complex, I know.

However complex, this plot could have very easily seen an overly melodramatic interpretation, but instead the play is well handled by a creative team that adeptly presents a very real and raw story of an American family of yesterday (and even today). Throughout the play, we’re put on an emotional rollercoaster in which we’re at one point laughing at the liveliness and charm of Joe Keller, skillfully played by director Geoff Elliott, but at another point instantly entranced by the intense conflict boiling beneath the surface. Such a shift from pleasant to tense never seems abrupt, not only because of Miller’s careful dialogue, but also because of the cast’s nuanced and well-thought-out interpretations of their characters.

Rafael Goldstein, who turned out a wonderful performance for the company as Marc Antony in their iteration of Julius Caesar earlier this year, delivers a very compelling performance as Chris Keller that’s both human and vivid, especially in scenes with Elliott. But, perhaps the most compelling of the performances is that of Deborah Strang, who delivers a character who can be frustratingly stubborn as she holds onto her denial at the expense of her family, but tragic, as the truth of her son slowly destroys her like a cancer. By the end of the play, Strang’s interpretations stays with us, long after the curtains have closed (or lights have faded, in this instance).

Geoff Elliott as Joe Keller with Deborah Strang as Kate Keller. – Photo by Craig Schwartz

And while the main selling point of this play is the acting, the visual aspects–the costumes, set design, and lighting–are also quite effective. Even though the entire play takes place in one location, the front of Keller house, from the moment you sit in your seat, the vibrancy of the set and costume design really yank us back to the time period this play is set and creates this world in which these characters can naturally be alive.

Put all together, All My Sons brings to the forefront bigger moral questions and themes that resonate even today. Just as in his other famous plays such as The Crucible which dealt with mass hysteria and self-preservation or Death of Salesman dissected and disassembled the idea of the American Dream, All My Sons deals with the conflict between moral fortitude and pragmatism, yet Elliott never shoves these themes down our throats. Instead, with a cast that delivers stellar performances and a creative team who can balance all aspects of the production well, we’re shown a consistently human and magnificently hypnotic portrait of not only a family that collapses within its own dark secrets and denial, but also a family so real and raw, it could very well be our own.

All My Sons will play until Nov. 21st at A Noise Within, 3352 E Foothill Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107. Show days and times are Sunday 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday 8 p.m., and Saturday 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Single tickets are $44; Student Rush tickets are $22 and can be purchased with ID an hour before the performance. Groups of 10 or more can purchase $30/adult, and $18/student. Tickets can be purchased at www.anoisewithin.org or by phone at (626) 356-3100 ext. 1.

Aaron Blakely as George Deever, Deborah Strang as Kate Keller, Rafael Goldstein as Chris Keller, and Maegan McConnell as Ann Deever. – Photo by Craig Schwartz

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