Review: Vivid Theatre Productions Presents Arthur Miller's ALL MY SONS at the JCC

"Sure, [Larry] was my son. But I think to him they were all my sons. And I guess they were, I guess they were..." --Joe in ALL MY SONS

"I know you're no worse than most men, but I thought you were better. I never saw you as a man. I saw you as my father." --Chris to his dad, Joe, in ALL MY SONS

There are so many theatrical fathers that should be saluted on this Father's Day weekend: Big Daddy from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, King Lear, Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, John Cleary from The Subject Was Roses, Tom Garrison in I Never Sang for My Father, Mafusa in The Lion King, Bruce Bechdel in Fun Home, Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, and Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton, just to name a handful. Iconic American playwright Arthur Miller has created his fair share of complicated dads: Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge, and of course Joe Keller in ALL MY SONS.

Vivid Theatre Productions, one of Tampa's newest theatre companies, has been blazing a trail of exciting theatrical productions starting with God of Carnage a year and a half ago, and ALL MY SONS is their first foray into a true American pre-1950's classic.

In ALL MY SONS, Joe Keller believes in family first, even if his questionable past actions (all for the family, he claims) caused the unnecessary deaths of several young men during World War II, including maybe his own son. He may now be sitting pretty and successful, having been exonerated for the crime of knowingly shipping defective aircraft cylinder heads from his factory to the military (something he blamed his partner for--a partner who is now rotting in prison). But we know the truth will emerge. ALL MY SONS centers on that moment when Keller's family and friends must confront the facts and contend with the truth that this man was knowingly responsible for the deaths of 21 pilots (and yes, for you trivia buffs, that's where the band Twenty-One Pilots got its name).

What makes ALL MY SONS such a compelling work is that it's a beautifully structured theatrical piece with memorable dialogue and even more memorable characters. It's the play that put Arthur Miller on the map in 1946, and his career after that did not disappoint.

You get to see Miller's brilliance on full display in Vivid Theatre's production of ALL MY SONS. Although there are several problematic issues with the production, mostly with actors who should have dug deeper into their characters, as well as some missed opportunities, the power of one of Miller's masterpieces shines through.

The acting in this production is all over the place; there doesn't seem to be evidence of a cohesive style.

As the father, Joe Keller, Thomas Pahl boasts a powerful speaking voice and a solid onstage presence. However, there seems to be missed connections with other cast members. Don't get me wrong, he's strong at times, but this is Arthur Miller, and the acting must be natural, not forced. There were several moments when Joe shouts but it seems to come out of nowhere; it's not organic, it doesn't build. When he holds a fist toward his son, Chris, we don't believe the moment (and neither does Chris, who doesn't even react). Joe is the wounded heart and soul of the play, and Pahl must carry it on his formidable shoulders, but it sometimes comes across stagey when realism is desired.

As Joe's wife, Kate, Patti Rinner delivers my favorite line in the show, a line that seems to resonate now more than ever: "You don't realize how people can hate, they can hate so much they'll tear the world to pieces." Rinner has a great look and is certainly spunky, but her hand gestures are so over-the-top nonstop that it seems like she was oftentimes conducting an unseen orchestra.

As Chris, Joe's son, Alexander Genaro works hard and has his strong moments, especially in his Act 2 yell-fest with his disappointing dad. But there were some instances when he didn't seem grounded, either pacing too much, or in one instance, actually walking away from his father when he has the line, "Dad, don't avoid me." This is not the strongest choice. Movement must have purpose, especially in a show like this; movement for the sake of moving does not work.

Annie, played by Rosemary Luycx, is the outsider, the daughter of the imprisoned partner of Joe and the love interest of Chris. Ms. Luycx has marvelously expressive eyes and she pulls off one of the most difficult things for a performer to do onstage--be an active listener. You see all of the pain, the questions, the confusion, in her facial expressions.

The kissing scene between Annie and Chris, a key moment in the show, is sub-par. They do an obvious stage kiss that seems more at home in a high school cafetorium than it does here. We must feel the love between these two, the burgeoning romance. The performers either need to make the stage kiss seem more realistic or, yes, actually kiss; what they did here was more suitable for an MTI Junior show.

Chris Cavazza, as the neighbor Frank, is full of life, sparking each of his scenes with pure energy. However, he seems to be acting in a completely different show than the other performers; he comes across as cartoony, like the comic relief of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical instead of the grounded realism of Arthur Miller Land.

Kenneth Grace underplays as Dr. Bayliss, and Courtney Elvira, as the doctor's wife, gives one of the best performances of the show. She's a very natural presence onstage and understands the tone of Miller's words. Her conversation with Ms. Luycx's Annie at the Top of Act 2 is sensationally strong work from both actresses.

Amanda Allen does fine as Frank's wife, and the youthful Seth Black-Diamond, who I remember so well from The Full Monty at the Carrollwood Players, exudes energy as Bert. However, yon Mr. Black-Diamond was taught so well in acting classes not to turn his back to the audience that his entrance with a forced cheat-out turn rings false in a show that's all about the truth.

My Best in Cast Award goes to Shaun Memmel as George Deever, Annie's lawyer brother. We have to wait until Act 2 to see Memmel's acting fireworks, but it's well worth the wait. He uses silence as a weapon, and he makes a myriad of terrific choices. There's a ferocity there, a passionate intensity. And it all has purpose; it's unleashed at just the right moments, almost like an emotional chess game that he's playing with the other characters. His acting is so strong that the other performers raise their games whenever he's onstage. Act 2 is the best written portion of the play, and with Memmel at the center of it, it's the best acted of them as well.

Director Drew Eberhard keeps the show's pace moving along--bam, bam, bam. It's certainly the fastest Arthur Miller play I have ever experienced.

The set works quite well in the intimate surroundings of the J Stage at the JCC. Flat, homey, it's wisely elevated so everyone in the audience can see. The costumes are appropriate for the post-War time period, and, hallelujah!, I could hear each one of the actors (something quite rare).

I just wish they upped the ante even more with this production. The actors need to mine for further meaning from the text; they need to examine each relationship even deeper. Although it's chockfull of fine things, this production of ALL MY SONS didn't get to that next level--the level of being great rather than being just fine. The ending is sad, poignant, but it should be devastating. It should leave the audience and me weepy. With ALL MY SONS, we need to feel like we've been emotionally walloped at the end. It's the difference between a roller coaster ride and a drive down the street, and ALL MY SONS should be a roller coaster ride toward unpleasant truths.

God bless Drew Eberhard and Vivid Theatre Productions. The Saturday night performance that I attended was completely sold out, and the audience rewarded the play with a standing ovation.

I am so happy the Vivid Theatre Productions has found a home at the JCC and is doing some ballsy work, spotlighting some of our area's finest actors. (We also need more local shows like ALL MY SONS, not less.) Even if ALL MY SONS is a peculiar Father's Day gift--a play about a suspect dad of wobbly moral convictions--it needs to be seen. I just wish Vivid Theatre would add a second weekend to their shows so that everyone can see what all the excitement is about.

The last performance of Vivid Theatre Productions' ALL MY SONS is the Sunday matinee, June 20th, at 1:00 PM. Happy Father's Day!

To post a comment, you must register and login.