All My Sons
WWII may be over in Arthur Miller’s devastating tragedy, but in the comfortable middle-class, Keller household an entirely insidious and deeply more personal war is about to be waged. Taking no prisoners in this quietly unfolding plot, each character must confront a terrible truth they wish to deny. The consequences are shattering, the message a warning against the dehumanizing effect of big business when there is no ethical filter to keep it in restraint.
The Ruskin Group Theatre pays honor to Miller’s blinding if not unrepressed contempt towards capitalism and the dilemma that rises from its conceit. Caught in the struggle between seemingly obvious right and wrong, the lines blur by an overwhelming concern for turning a profit, even when it comes to the deadly expense to others.
The aftershocks are keenly felt in Edward Edwards’ direction with a cast that resonates as it conveys the crushing weight of each carefully discovered revelation. There are not any licenses taken in this straightforward, if not determinedly exacting production. It runs as smoothly as a well-oiled machine. The pace strikes a perfect balance between measured and frenzied without losing control of either. Stripped down to its raw essentials, this cast delivers with finely felt nuanced feeling kept just under the surface until the final, hair-triggering denouement.
While the main characters of the Keller family draw us in, the secondary characters draw us out with seeming nonchalance as they chew the fat on the Keller’s yard while always heavy with suggestion. Nothing goes wasted, no moment rushed, as the subtext hits home with absolute precision. The supporting cast brilliantly peels away the layers of subterfuge without spoon-feeding the text. Considering the dense plot and heavy emotional toll the overall effect is like overhearing the neighbors arguing from over the fence. It is personal, raw, and very real.
The play is only as good as the Keller family’s chemistry, and this cast reflexively responds and listens to each other without a single artificial moment. Thrown into the dynamic is Annie, sweet but fiercely played by Austin Highsmith as she subtly infuses rising doubt towards her future in-laws. Paul Linke and Catherine Telford are a fantastic duo as the Keller’s Joe and Kate. Clinging to her own brand of truth, Telford, comes across as delicate as a rose pattern on fine bone china, but reveals the thinly laid cracks of her sanity and devotion to her family throughout. Linke’s Joe, a likeable man among men is simply irresistible and charming, a wonderful complexity given the nature and severity of his crimes. At the crux is their only surviving son from the war, Chris, multi-layered by Dominic Comperatore’s haunting portrayal that suggests a level of denial to the role that compliments the Keller’s refusal to see the harsh truth.
For such an intimate space, the Ruskin Group Theatre always manages to pull a surprisingly detailed set from their hatbox that puts other sets in grander spaces to shame. Roberta Christensen’s box-like set maximizes the playing area of the yard with a beautifully constructed two-story house facade that almost leers over the action like a quiet observer. Costumes by Matthew Perduis smartly capture the period with colorful flair and feminine touches to the women without indulgence.
For those familiar with Miller’s Tony award winning play, this is a satisfying production and a testament to a great work that is still timeless and harrowing. For everyone else this should not be missed, but do bring a box of Kleenex as there wasn’t a dry eye in the sold out matinee.
Arthur Miller’s play still has the power to move when told in as brutally honest a way as his words that require no further edification beyond these solid performances.
“All My Sons”
Runs through Oct 2
Fri and Sat at 8pm
Sundays at 2pm
Ruskin Group Theatre
3000 Airport Road
Santa Monica, 90405
Ample free parking
PH: 310-397-3244
www.ruskingrouptheatre.com