Last week I checked out The Huntington's latest in the 2009-2010 Season, Arthur Miller's 'All My Sons.' Completed at the conclusion of World War II, Miller explores the domestic implications of the war - loss of a son, corruption, wealth gained from the war, familial guilt and his all time favorite - the destruction of the American Dream. Miller brings us the Keller family comprised of Kate (mourning matriarch, unwilling to accept her son's death, clinging to the hope that missing for three years equals the possibility of life), Joe (patriarch with a criminal past all in the name of providing for his family), Chris (the surviving son, in love with his brother's girl, working in the family business) and the shadow of Larry (Chris' older brother who went missing during the war). In addition, Miller highlights the aforementioned girlfriend of Larry, Ann, who happens to the be the daughter of Joe's former business partner, who is now doing time for faulty airplane engines. Though Miller sets the scene in middle America with a seemingly average family and their neighbors in the background, these complex relationships rival 21st soap operas. In last week's review, The Boston Globe's Don Aucoin wrote, "Heaven knows Miller was allergic to subtlety, with a tendency to italicize his messages, but the man had few peers when it came to crafting high-stakes moral showdowns," which summarizes the tension of Miller's written word. However, at the Huntington, the performance fell flat. I think that individually, the actors were fine, certainly not stellar, but floundered under poor direction.
Miller's play is all about individual morals v. protecting and providing for the family v. nationalism. Essentially, Miller asks who is more important - the individual or the nation? At a time of war is it more important to profit from business or work to ensure the safety of the nation's troops. Joe Keller put his business profit before safety and suffered for it. Not only did his choice cause the death of several men in the war, but ruined his longtime business partner's life and subsequently caused so much disgust and guilt in his sons that his family fell apart - the very family for which he tried to provide with his business. The complex motivations for Joe's choices and the consequences make a fascinating story, but I felt none of that tension while sitting in the Huntington's theatre last week. I felt sleepy, a little bored and somewhat annoyed that the women seated behind me commented on each twist and revelation throughout the play. They also sounded like they were munching away on candy and opening cans of soup back there. Seriously, theatre manners are not hard - learn 'em, live 'em, love 'em and I will love you for it. My point is, I felt distracted because the story did not grip me. I did not feel glued to my seat, debating the morality of the play for myself, wondering if Chris could reconcile his father's acts with his brother's death and his own guilt. I wondered when the play would be over. Truthfully, I could not figure out what the BIG DEAL was until late in the second act. I think under different direction I would have felt very different.
However, I did not hate the production. There were moments I enjoyed and pushed me forward on my seat, like when Ann's brother George arrives. Overall, I found the production lacking, but if you want to see a beautiful set and cannot resist Arthur Miller - why not check it out? Though you might find a better interpretation reading 'All My Sons' to yourself. After all, it's Arthur Miller.
- KER
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