BWW Reviews: ALL MY SONS from Actors Bridge and Belmont University

Some 63 years after its debut on Broadway, Arthur Miller's All My Sons remains one of contemporary theatre's most powerful and affecting dramas. Given the tenor of today's times, it continues to resonate with audiences, its relevance undiminished and its themes challenging. Given an extraordinarily confident staging in a joint production from Actors Bridge Ensemble and the Belmont University Department of Theatre and Dance, it is live theatre at its best - something no true lover of the stage can allow themselves to miss.

Director Don Griffiths' staging of Miller's now-classic tragedy, with its echoes of the Greek classics, is heart-wrenching, certain to stir up all the emotions one can muster. Beautifully designed and executed, with superb performances from a cast that includes professional actors from Actors Bridge, along with the affecting portrayals of some exceptionally talented Belmont students, the production is completely satisfying on all levels, without even one iota of staginess to mar the proceedings.

Miller's searing indictment of the relentless pursuit of the American Dream - selflessness be damned - remains staggeringly intact and it packs as much of a wallop today as it must have in 1947 when it premiered on the Great White Way. Then, in the brief time since the end of World War II, Americans were justifiably examining their way of life amid the realities of the outcome of that war which had an impact upon every segment of American society.

As Miller examined that impact - particularly war profiteering to increase personal wealth in pursuit of the American dream - in the wake of the war, he provided a lens through which to view the effects of war on the homefront: the things simple men would do to further their claim on hard-won success for the benefit of future generations.

The relevance of All My Sons, in these troubled economic times and with wars continuing in Iran and Afghanistan, could not be more palpable - ensuring that Miller's dramatic examination of unbridled greed and the accompanying loss of integrity can be more easily understood. Certainly, the barely suppressed righteous indignation felt by progressives in view of the excesses of the Halliburtons of today's world, closely mirrors the horrific feelings of the idealistic young Chris Keller, the son who discovers his father's duplicity, thus providing the play's stunning denouement.

Based upon a true story (reportedly found in a newspaper clipping supplied to Miller by his mother) about a young woman in Ohio who turned in her father for supplying faulty materiel to the Army during wartime, All My Sons' basic premise is very similar to that, although the playwright changed the child's gender to male for his first Broadway success. And what makes All My Sons successful both then and now is the genuine feel of Miller's dialogue, his all-too-real and accessible characters, and his adherence to the basic elements of classic Greek tragedy. The conflict in All My Sons most assuredly comes from the play's premise (business partners are arrested when their faulty airplane parts result in the deaths of 20-some American pilots - but only one of them serves any prison time), but the underlying themes of betrayal and blind devotion to duty - however misguided it might be - supply the work's most moving moments.

Griffiths approaches the play with respect, directing his talented cast with a sure-handed ease that is exemplary in its storytelling capabilities. Yet being respectful does not mean that he is slavish to convention; rather, Griffiths presents All My Sons with a contemporary feel that resonates both because of its period trappings and despite them.

Performed on a beautifully detailed set designed by Patrick White to represent the backyard of the Kellers' "comfortable" home, which is expertly lighted by Clayton Landiss, the play boasts an impeccable design aesthetic. Christine Lamborn's exquisitely crafted costumes are among the best we've seen locally in a period production.

As impressive as these physical trappings are, what really sets this production apart from others is the complete commitment from the actors playing these people. As Joe Keller, Miller's ultimately flawed heroic version of American manhood personified, Bill Feehely gives a flawlessly nuanced reading, somehow blending bravado and poignancy in just the right amounts to create a stunning characterization. Feehely commands the stage artfully, giving a masterful performance that rivets the theatre-goer to his seat.

Feehely's onstage turn is matched by the artistry of Cynthia Tucker's finely etched portrayal of Kate Keller, the long-suffering wife who refuses to accept that their son, Larry, believed missing for more than three years, is really dead. Tucker smartly underplays her scenes, refusing to make the easy choice, thus creating an indelible characterization. Truly, her performance is revelatory in its scope and impact.

Somewhat suprisingly - and I say so only to betray my own prejudices about student actors - Feehely and Keller are given amazing support from their Belmont counterparts. Zack McCann, cast as the idealistic Chris Keller, gives a performance that is nothing short of stunning. His naturalistic manner and the easy way in which he interacts with the other actors makes his winning performance all the more moving in the play's more dramatically charged moments in the second act. And, let me assure you, if you are not moved by his scenes with Feehely, you need to get professional help. Their scenes fairly crackle with intensity.

Kyla Ledes, playing lovely young Ann Deever (the former girlfriend of Larry, the long-lost son, who now has come "home" to accept Chris' marriage proposal), refuses to rely on the ingenue's usual bag of tricks, instead showing us the rich promise that is sure to come. Her Ann is multi-dimensional and Deever shows impressive range.

As Ann's lawyer brother, George Deever, Jordan Parkyn gives a sensitive performance that rivals the plays' leads with its fiery intensity and the sharp delivery of his lines. But Parkyn's George does so much more than just shout and generally cause trouble in the Kellers' backyard ("the only place [he's] ever felt at home," his character tells us), rather he moves the play's action along while maintaining the exceptionally high level of acting that is evident throughout.

Finally, playing the young neighbors of the Kellers are four well-cast Belmont students, all of whom perform confidently with the aplomb of actors with much more experience: Luke Hatmaker and Kristin McCalley as a young doctor and his wife, and Ben Stonick and Lindsay Phillpott as happily married parents of three young children.

This extraordinary production of All My Sons only continues through Sunday, February 28, and it should not be missed. It's a truly outstanding production of an American classic that deserves to be seen.

- All My Sons. By Arthur Miller. Directed by Don Griffiths. Produced by Vali Forrister and R. Paul Gattrell. Presented by the Belmont University Department of Theatre and Dance and Actors Bridge Ensemble. At the Troutt Theatre at Belmont University, Nashville. For details, visit the company website at www.actorsbridge.org.

Zack McCann and Bill Feehely in All My Sons, photographed by Rick King

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