Of human frailty

You may have to drive a bit, but you can find two rock-solid productions of Arthur Miller classics within hailing distance of L.A.

Veteran director Jules Aaron skillfully navigates his way around the occasional inconsistencies in “All My Sons,” presented by McCoy Rigby Entertainment at La Mirada Theatre. Like “Death of a Salesman,” produced two years later, Miller’s 1947 play is a wrenching look at capitalism run amok, with the core family unit of a towering but flawed father, a long-suffering mother and a son whose illusions about his father must be brutally dispelled.

Gary Wissmann’s beautifully realized, Norman Rockwell-esque set stands in ironic counterpoint to the unfolding calamity. Fortunate in his cast, Aaron almost overplays his hand at the outset, having his performers mug and posture in a heightened style that hints of musical comedy. However, as the artifice drops away, exposing the raw pain underneath the cheery facades, we realize the cunning of Aaron’s tack.

Charles Lanyer strikes true as Joe Keller, the wartime munitions maker whose negligence has finally come home to roost. As Kate, Joe’s feisty yet fragile wife, Anne Gee Byrd is a study in subtle contrasts. And Jamison Jones captures the poignant quandary of Joe’s son Chris, whose fatal idealism will not brook compromise.

Originally written in response to the McCarthy hearings, “The Crucible,” now at International City Theatre in Long Beach, is a passionate denunciation of mindless orthodoxy set during the Salem witch trials. Produced in 1953 to lukewarm reviews, “The Crucible” is now arguably the greatest work in Miller’s extraordinary canon.

Director Shashin Desai strips the production to essentials, channeling but never overstating the raw emotions in his astutely simple staging. Don Llewellyn’s set is notably spare, but notice the mass of tangled tree limbs overhead, a foreboding set piece that suggests both a snarling trap and the gallows tree.

As John Proctor, the reluctant hero of the piece, Neil Larson is towering in every sense of the word -- a big, bearded bear of a man whose sheer bulk contrasts with his delicately calibrated performance. Whereas Proctor, a no-nonsense man of the earth, can typically be portrayed as dry to the point of astringency, Larson taps into Proctor’s latent sentimentality, with ravaging results. Sarah Sido, who plays Proctor’s former lover and the ringleader of the “demonically possessed” girls who have ignited the hysteria, delivers a resonant performance, as does Sarah Scivier as Proctor’s emotionally cold wife, whose love blooms under adversity.

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‘The Crucible’

Where: International City Theatre, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach

When: Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Dark Nov. 27

Ends: Dec. 7

Price: $27-$35

Contact: (562) 436-4610

Running time: 3 hours

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‘All My Sons’

Where: La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada

When: Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2:30 and 8 p.m; Sundays, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Ends: Nov. 23

Price: $30-$38

Contact: (562) 944-9801

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes