Review: This ‘All My Sons’ needs more of life’s messiness and heart
A signature unease with the facile promises of the American Dream — and its inherent moral contractions — runs through the plays of Arthur Miller.
Where Miller’s iconic salesman Willy Loman can’t catch a break in a rigged socioeconomic game, Joe Keller, the equally flawed protagonist of “All My Sons,” has seemingly triumphed over it, albeit at a horrifying cost.
A polished revival from A Noise Within fully illuminates the implications and consequences of that compromise, though the thematic clarity comes with some sacrifices in dramatic complexity.
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As envisioned and portrayed by director Geoff Elliott, Joe Keller is a lanky, affable and somewhat nerdy self-made entrepreneur and devoted family man enjoying the comfort of the post-World War II years.
The era’s surface complacency — evoked with typically impeccable Noise Within production values in the authentic period costumes and an intricately detailed backyard set — is about to be shattered when questions resurface regarding Joe’s possible role in a wartime manufacturing scandal that sent his business partner to prison.
While Joe’s goofy, disarming persona is supremely likable, in order to feel the full emotional weight of his tragedy we also have to love him no matter what. Standing in the way of our unconditional affection is an underlying streak of craven, self-serving nastiness in Elliott’s performance that certainly accounts for the character’s moral lapses but reduces him to little more than a hypocrite who gets his comeuppance rather than an everyman whose failings could be our own.
What is plainly a staging choice favoring hyper-clarity — evident throughout the large ensemble — successfully reveals the nuances of the play’s ethical arguments but also makes its well-made narrative seams a bit too apparent.
There’s room for more of the sloppiness and falling short of ideals that should break our hearts, especially when Joe urges us to “see it human.”
“All My Sons,” A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. Runs in repertory, see website for schedule. Ends Nov. 21. $44-$62 (Thursday Oct. 15 pay-what-you-can). (626) 356-3100 or www.anoisewithin.org. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.
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