KY+All+My+Sons+Critique

//All My Sons// //All My Sons// by Arthur Miller is a dramatic tragedy that pays tribute to classic Greek archetypes. The plot frames the history and final demise of the Keller family in the aftermath of World War II. Little to no sound is utilized in the production, while lighting is used only to set the time of day. These factors, coupled with the real props used, such as the apple and grape juice, act to further emphasize the naturalistic style of the production. The compelling acting skills of the father, Joe, and mother, Kate, enhance the powerful dramatic air of the play and intensify the theme of the broken American Dream. In all, //All My Sons// was a gripping production that left the audience members gasping long after the final gunshot is fired at the resolution of the drama.

The play opens on the Keller home in the American suburbs in the year of 1947. Neighbors patrol the yard, chatting about the weather and want ads. The drama begins with the introduction of Larry. Larry – the son of Joe Keller and his wife Kate – has been missing from the war for three years. Kate still holds onto the belief that her son is alive, despite the years that he has been MIA. However, upon the opening of the play, the tree that the family planted in the front yard in Larry’s honors has been struck by lightning and fallen, strangely in Larry’s birth month. Drama continues with the introduction of the character Annie, who was Larry’s sweetheart from before the war. Chris – the older son of Joe and Kate and the brother of Larry – soon reveals to his father that he intends to propose to Annie. Joe is hesitant for Kate’s sake, as she still sees Annie as “Larry’s girl.” Annie furthers the dramatic action through a monologue, detailing her memory of the repercussions of the crime of which her father Steve Deever and Joe were accused. Joe Keller allowed the manufacturing and selling off faulty airplane cylinder heads in his factory, leading to the death of 21 American pilots during the war. However, Joe blamed his friend and neighbor Steve for the mishap. As a result, Joe was exonerated and Steve was sent to jail, but it is revealed by several of the neighbors that the neighborhood knows Joe was the guilty party. Chris himself does not believe that his father would have sold the faulty parts, but his illusion of his father is shattered after the arrival of George Deever – the son of Steve and the brother of Annie. George is a successful New York lawyer and childhood friend of Chris that has come back with a vengeance after visiting his father in jail. George is determined to prove that Joe, not his father, was the guilty party in the airplane cylinder catastrophe, and he demands that Annie leaves with him. Annie refuses, and the audience is surprised to discover that Kate also wants Annie to depart. Chris is furious, and he quarrels with his mother as she tries to tell him that Larry is alive. Finally, Kate breaks down and says that Larry must be alive, because if he died, his own father killed him. This shocking turn of events draws a heart wrenching confession from Joe, and Chris attacks Joe as his impression of his father crumples. In the final act, Annie reveals a letter from Larry to prove to Kate that Larry isn’t coming back. The letter describes the shame that Larry felt after reading about his father’s scandal. Kate and Joe are both traumatized at the realization that their son Larry killed himself. As Joe says, “…to him, they were all my sons…I guess they were…” The play closes on a deafening gunshot, as Joe kills himself to restore moral order in the universe and redeem himself, drawing inspiration from the great Greek tragic heroes – leaving behind the broken image of the American Dream.

The setting of the play was extremely crucial to the overall performance. There were no set changes that occurred throughout all three acts. The set consisted of the framework of a house – cutouts of windows and doors hung from the rafters, creating the illusion of a house in the background. The cutouts hanging from the rafters was a creative twist to a normal set for this realistic drama. It also portrayed a deeper meaning, as it was important that the house was not solid with a stable foundation but rather empty – simply a skeleton of a home, which is the result of the Keller family as a result of Joe’s scandal and Larry’s disappearance. Behind the cutouts, a row of chairs was placed, in which the cast members sat and observed the action occurring on the stage. In that form, the cast acted in many ways as the chorus in a Greek theater. Many aspects of //All My Sons// were incredibly similar to classic Greek tragedy, so the idea of the cast behaving as the chorus was very appropriate. However, if the Greek theater parallel was not drawn, the ongoing presence of the cast on the stage was a bit confusing towards to the dramatic action. It was at times difficult to deduce why cast members would actually go off stage as opposed to just sitting back in the chair. The furniture set in the “yard” was also a bit confusing. The set was not a lawn set, but rather a furniture set that looked as if it belonged in a dining room table. Therefore, it took the audience a little longer to visualize that much of the action was occurring in the yard, not inside the house. The fallen tree also seemed a bit out of place, as the remainder of the play stayed very realistic. The tree was constructed of metal and looked overly “modern.” It did not fit in well with the remainder of the set. As the set designer had already taken creative liberties with the framework of the house, it did not seem appropriate for the tree to have been constructed of metal. As the fallen tree was so crucial to the overall plot of the drama, it should have been made more impressively and realistically. However, aside from the fallen tree, the set design added to the overall theatricality and drama of the production.

The costumes fit the characters well. I did not think that the outfits were particularly important, but they were well engineered to project the personalities of each character and time period. Joe adorned a suit with suspenders, sans suit jacket. This was important, because while the costume gave the impression of a businessman, the suspenders gave more of a fatherly air. His attire helped add to the image that he was a nervous businessman, not quite so refined. Kate’s attire was not very important, but added to her motherly character. Chris also wore a suit for most of the play, but his was in a more earthy color than the stark black of Joe’s pants. He looked essentially polished. Annie’s attire enhanced the youth and beauty that she was channeling, as well as an air of sophistication that she must have picked up in her time in New York. George’s costume was one of the more crucial outfits in the play. He adorned a full suit in darker colors – nothing like the earthy tones of Chris’s suit. It gave him an air of importance and power, which was vital considering his occupation as a successful lawyer. He looked domineering and powerful standing next to Joe, which was very much the point of his costume. He also adorned the hat of his father – a constant reminder of where his loyalties lay. Again, costuming was well planned and added to the drama of the production.

Minimal sound and lighting were utilized in the performance. The only time sound came on was during Kate’s monologue, when she is describing her dream about Larry. Because sound was not used at any point before or after her monologue, it seemed incredibly out of place and contrived. The music was cheesy, and the crucial scene would have been greatly improved without the music. Lighting also was not a large portion of the production. The only lighting that was essentially used was the lighting on the backdrop of the set, which was lit to show the time of day the dramatic action was taking place. The minimalistic approach to the sound and lighting seemed very appropriate considering the naturalistic feel of the production. It forced the audience members to focus more of the dialogue of the actors, adding to the intensity of the production.

The acting in the production for the most part was impressive. The actor portraying Joe and the actress portraying Kate were both excellent. Joe played the role of the nervous businessman perfectly. In the scene were Chris attacks him and drives a confession out of him was incredibly moving. The intensity of the actor was remarkable. The end of the play where Joe reads the letter from Larry is also a well-done scene. The actor very well characterizes his acceptance and defeat. Kate also played the role of the distraught mother perfectly. She was the perfect balance of motherly affection and yet desperation for Larry. The delivery of lines from both Kate and Joe were utterly convincing. The audience member bought into their roles immediately. The remainder of the supporting cast was mediocre – they did their job, but they were not exceptional at acting. Annie was the most convincing of the rest of the cast members. Chris’s acting seemed very forced throughout all of Act I. It was not until Acts II and III that the audience member began buying into his portrayal of the character. Again, the scene between Chris and Joe where Joe confesses to Chris was excellent on both sides. The intensity of the play was largely determined by the acting skills of the cast, as other aspects of the theater were not as prominent in the production.

//All My Sons// tells the story of the Keller family that is torn apart by the disappearance of their son Larry in the war and the scandal of the father Joe. It highlights the brokenness of the American Dream. Joe acts as the tragic hero of the play, only redeeming himself with his death at the end of the production. The costumes, lighting, sound, and setting – with minor exceptions – all contributed to the success of the drama. Acting was key in the production, as all of the dramatic action depended on the intensity of the actors and their acting skills. The theater department’s rendition of //All My Sons// would be recommended to anyone willing to see a weighty play about broken dreams.