04 Mar 2025
Deborah Heath is at the Abbey Theatre for a fine outing of Arthur Miller’s 1947 hit play by Company of Ten.
Joe Keller owns a successful manufacturing business that had supplied parts for the military during WWII, and the action of ‘All My Sons’ takes place over one day, showing the ramifications of a mistake in Joe’s factory that led to the death of 21 pilots in 1944.
Following these deaths and an official investigation, Joe and his business partner, Steve Deever, had been imprisoned with Joe later being exonerated.
At the start of the play, as Joe relaxes in his beautiful back yard, it appears that he is the lucky one but we quickly find out that one of his sons, Larry, has been missing since the end of the war.
Joe’s wife Kate is in denial, still believing that her son will come home. Joe’s perfect world is clearly a facade and the script gently unravels what is going on underneath.
There are some weighty themes at play here; responsibility, guilt and love which kept me fully engaged throughout.
The cast of 10 were impressive with well-rounded character portrayals, good physicality and vocal projection and mostly reliable American accents.
Joe Keller was given a very strong realisation by Andy Mills and his character development was well executed.
His wife Kate, longing for her son to return was exquisitely played by Alison Wright, I really felt her pain throughout the play. Annie, daughter of imprisoned Steve who has come back to marry Joe’s son Chris, (despite being previously engaged to his missing son Larry) was given a sympathetic performance by Grace Carson.
It was Chris Vincent as son Chris Keller who had the most challenging role to play and he achieved it with aplomb, displaying the counterpoint to his parents by wanting to move on. He is such an impressive young actor who was a pleasure to watch.
These four performers were supported by a superb team of Company of Ten players who regrettably I don’t have space to mentioned by name, apart from the young Jake Wyeth who was entirely convincing as little neighbour Bert – well done!
The beautifully crafted set showed the back yard and rear of the Keller’s house. However, it went much further by including the kitchen viewed through the window which was an active part of the playing area. It added to the realism of the show by seeing action happening in the background in this way, indicating a world beyond the action of the play itself.
The coordination of designing and using the set indicated a truly remarkable collaboration between director, Derek Coe, and set designer Ian Crawford. Even if the play wasn’t as marvellous as it is, I would still be encouraging buying a ticket just to see the set!
The overall impact of this production was commendable with the audience often in spellbound silence. Company of Ten selected a thought-provoking play which resonates well 80 years after being penned by questioning the responsibility of those in power and the value of honesty and integrity.
Photos by Anne Frizell.
