All My Sons
Reviewed by Taylor Kass
Pacific Resident Theatre
Extended through March 1
Arthur Miller’s 1947 masterpiece All My Sons is unforgiving and precise in its path of destruction — it unravels the American dream and dismantles the nuclear family in one fell swoop. Joe Keller (Richard Fancy) is a husband, father and beloved neighbor, accused but acquitted of knowingly selling faulty engines to the military during World War II and causing the deaths of dozens of pilots. His wife Kate (Terry Davis) is convinced that their son Larry, who went MIA years ago, is still alive. When Larry’s former girlfriend Anne (Amy-Helene Carlson) arrives to pursue a relationship with the Kellers’ second son Chris (Marc Valera), years of secrets, denial and guilt all come to a head. Now in an extended run, the Pacific Resident Theatre’s production of this seminal American classic successfully encompasses the play’s emotional peaks and valleys yet lacks the forward momentum that drives the story to its dramatic conclusion. And with a script this close to perfect, any less-than-stellar moments stand out.
The production is staged in the company’s tiny, rectangular black box theater. While scenic designer Dillon G. Artzer has attempted to recreate the Kellers’ inviting backyard, he’s failed to commit either to deconstructed impressionism or detailed hyper-realism. The half-constructed walls of the Keller house feel incongruous next to a collection of lived-in furniture, while Larry’s fallen memorial tree is also somewhat lamely reduced to a lone branch on the floor. The narrow walls of the theatre remain black, adding a distracting layer of artifice to what Miller intended to be a realistic environs.
Although their “private little revolutions” are minimized by the older generation, the young people in All My Sons are willing to unearth the truth at any cost. Amy-Helene Carlson imbues former girl-next-door Anne with sweetness and incisiveness, expertly crafting a young woman who cares deeply for others but is unwilling to be pushed around. Chris Keller (Marc Valera), the younger brother who made it through the war but lives in the shadow of survivor’s guilt and parental expectations, is gifted with some of the most beautiful poetry in the play. Valera uses the text to his advantage to emphasize Chris’s sensitivity, but he lacks the youthful angst and insecurity that plagues his character.
Producer and lead actor Richard Fancy leans too hard into Joe’s likability; he comes across as more of a goofy grandpa than a charming-yet-menacing patriarch. His performance lacks the gravitas that keeps Joe at the center of the family; occasional bursts of yelling only serve to erode any sense of real power. Compared to Joe, the delusional Kate seems sane. Terry Davis plays Kate with intelligence and vulnerability, but her portrayal of a woman whose entire world hinges on a lie is too controlled. On several occasions, Joe tells Kate to “calm down” when in fact she is talking in a whisper.
The question at the heart of All My Sons isn’t whether or not Joe is guilty — it’s how far he and Kate are willing to go to convince themselves that he isn’t. Fancy portrays Joe as a man who knows he’s done something wrong, but it would be far more interesting if Joe fully believed in his own innocence until finally forced to face the truth.
If All My Sons is a pressure cooker, this production overheats too early, prioritizing emotion over action. The third act appropriately achieves a violent and feverish crescendo, but it would be even more impactful if cracks in the Keller family facade took longer to appear.
Pacific Resident Theatre, 705 1/2 Venice Blvd., Venice; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. (except 2/14, 2/15 & 2/21); Sun., 3 p.m. (except 2/9); extended through Mar. 1. (310) 822-8392 or https://www.pacificresidenttheatre.com/. Running time: two hours and 30 minutes with a 10-minute intermission.
