All My Sons Reviews

[Zion24]

massofmen said: "this production was amazing. It will good good reviews."


Amen, to that. This was one of the better nights i've had in a theater this year.  its a very straightforward and mercifully barely directed production, but the simplicity lets an actually well written and genuinely interesting script shine through .there's a reason we keep reviving Arthur Miller. I've seen multiple productions of the Crucible and Death of A Salesman (and the excellent View From The Bridge of a few seasons ago), but I've never seen All My Sons before (i think i read it in high school) and it broke my heart.

Bening does a nice job, but the play belongs to Letts and Walker. Both boom from the stage as needed, but neither are one-note and i found both characters quite vulnerable and realistic. Letts reminded me of Dick Cheney, but even that unfortunate association can't overcome Miller's sharp, complicated portrait of Mr. Keller. When he and Walker go head to head, the play takes off. 

I also was particularly touched by Hampton Fluker, who did alot with a small role, and in his brief scenes had our entire section sniffling. but the play is a classic slow build to fireworks- some predictable but some not. Kudos to this production which lets that all happens with minimal intervention. its close to perfect. 

unrelated note: can anyone explain to me why American Airlines theater is selling BAGS OF TERRA CHIPS during intermission? There is no way to open that bag, handle that bag, touch that bag, without making noise, not to mention the chewing of fried beetroot and carrots that follow. The row behind me sounded like the store room of a supermarket, and while after multiple shushes, they understood that they could, perhaps, wait 40 minutes before eating their bag of chips, its hard to really blame them when the theater is enabling, if not encouraging, this problem. 

 

[chanel]

A rave for Bening and Letts.

http://www.newnownext.com/all-my-sons-broadway-review/04/2019/