Arthur Miller’s All My Sons is a modern American tragedy, directed by Jim Tasse and performed by the student actors at UW-Milwaukee. In appearance, the Kellers are a typical suburban family: wealthy, thanks to the father’s—Joe’s—manufacturing business, and happy save for the disappearance of their son Larry, missing in action since before the war ended. Their remaining son, Chris, wants to marry Larry’s “girl,” Ann, unwittingly unearthing the family’s dark secret.
The first act of this two-and-a-half hour show seems to go at a snail’s pace, taking the time to establish the characters as they interact on the beautifully rendered suburban yard (complete with a realistic-looking house on set). To keep the viewers engaged, the show relies entirely on its actors. Maureen O’Hara, who plays the mother, Kate, is the play’s strongest asset; she invigorates every interaction she partakes in with seemingly never-ending energy. Kate refuses to believe that her son Larry is dead and stubbornly waits for his return, her psychosis and delusions shining through her facade as a loving mother. Along with her, acting highlights include Tim Gutknecht, the father Joe, as well as Devin George, who plays Chris, a devilishly seductive and insolent boy, perhaps too genuine for the cutthroat world of American suburbia.
The facade that we all put on is one of the play’s most prominent themes, as we discover through the Kellers’ family secret. Joe’s company sold defective plane parts to the army, eventually leading to the death of 21 men, but Joe’s coworker is the only one who went to jail because of it. While Chris believes his father innocent, and Joe himself claims that his reputation is intact, we discover as the play goes on that the truth is not as it seems. Grief, guilt, lies and love get intertwined as the events take a dramatic turn.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
The pacing is sometimes clunky, but when the mystery starts to unravel, the story becomes fascinating to the point it is impossible to look away. The character-driven plot reaches its uncommonly long climax halfway through the second act, while the entire third act is dedicated to the fallout. Joe, Kate and Chris mull over the value of life, of money and family, before the family drama ends with a bang—literally.
Through March 10 at the UWM Mainstage Theatre, 2400 E. Kenwood Blvd. For more information and tickets, visit uwm.edu/arts/event.
