Arthur Miller's "All My Sons," onstage tonight through Saturday at UND, is the story of a family with way too many secrets, where any kind of pressure is likely to lead to an explosion of some kind, and eventually does.
As it's one of THE great American plays, you may already be familiar with the plot of "All My Sons": A post World War II family tries its darndest to live the American dream, even though Daddy's been accused of fraud that led to the deaths of dozens of pilots, Mom can't come to grips with the death of her older son (even though it's been three years) and Junior wants to marry his dead brother's girlfriend.
Miller has a lot of feeling for the Keller family and their neighbors. He understands the humanity of people who struggle with guilt, shame and rage, who are trying so hard to put a good face on things, and who think they can justify their worst actions by telling their loved ones: "I did it for you."
Darin Kerr is the guest artist in this production directed by Kathleen McLennan, chairman of the UND department of theater. He has the chops and the gravitas to make us feel for Joe Keller, patriarch of a troubled family, despite the wickedness of his actions and his hypocrisy about it. And that's a tall order. Joe Keller is the Bernie Madoff of his time.
The rest of the Keller family -- wife Kate (Chelsie Pollert), son Chris (Nick McConnell) and Ann (Emily Hogenson), the girl Chris wants to marry -- all give strong, believable performances. Andrew Caballero (as George, Ann's brother) is impressive in his part, racheting up the tension of the plot and giving us our first real sense of what Joe's guilt might be.
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There are a lot of opportunities for histrionics in this show. Thankfully, there were none. Some stories don't need wailing and gnashing of teeth to convey the characters' pain and anguish. This show manages a good and real balance of emotions and feelings. It's also a tribute to Arthur Miller that his work, written in 1947, seems as relevant today as it must have been then.
"All My Sons" begins at 7:30 tonight through Saturday at UND Burtness Lab Theatre. Tickets are $10; $5 for students. Call the UND box office at (701) 777-2587.
If you go
- What: The UND production of "All My Sons"
- When and where: 7:30 tonight through Saturday, UND Burtness Lab Theater, Grand Forks
- Tickets: Adults, $10; students, $5; reservations, (701) 777-2587
- Director: Kathleen McLennan
- Guest artist: Darin Kerr
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- Cast: Andrew Caballero, Emily Hogenson, Daniella Lima, Nick McConnell, Casey Paradies, Hyrum Patterson, Chelsie Pollert, Abby Schoenborn, Austin Suedel
