Guild presents powerful Arthur Miller drama ‘All My Sons’

Arthur Miller’s acclaimed 1947 drama “All My Sons,” a compelling and heartbreaking story of a Midwestern family coping with betrayal and the truth, opens the Dayton Theatre Guild’s 2017-2018 season beginning Friday, Aug. 18.

In this shattered portrait of the American Dream set in the summer of 1946, the Keller household is at a crossroads. Patriarch Joe knowingly shipped defective airplane parts from his factory to the military during World War II, but the past comes back to haunt him unexpectedly even as he attempts to get on with his life. Secrets and lies festering underneath the surface, fueled by his devoted wife, Kate, overtake him as the arrival of Ann and George Deever, the two children of his incarcerated business partner Steve Deever, changes everything forever.

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“‘All My Sons’ is about the aftermath of war and one family’s journey to make sense of it all,” said director Debra Kent, who staged an excellent local premiere of “Luna Gale” for the Guild last season.

‘Best and worst of humanity’

“Arthur Miller’s plays are very good at showing us the best and worst of humanity. He makes us question right and wrong, and shows us there are sometimes gray areas. We can make our own decisions about what is and isn’t acceptable, and during that process we often find out more about ourselves. In this case, Joe Keller did what he had to do to make a living for his family during wartime. Family is everything to Joe and protecting his family’s interests is the most important thing he can do.

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"But during the war he made a judgment call that ended up costing lives. Does this make him a bad person? Or was he, like many other business owners at the time, just trying to do what he thought best under pressure? We, the audience, soon learn the whole story. Is Joe a businessman who made a bad decision? Or does it go far beyond that? This is just one of the moral and ethical questions raised in this story."

“The dialogue in this play is great,” said Mike Beerbower, who portrays bitter George and was outstanding last season as introverted Robert in Playground Theatre’s local premiere of “Jailbait. “The (language) is tense and layered with meaning. The characters’ struggles feel urgent and relatable.”

Shifting the action to Ohio

“Miller’s script is so dense,” said Kent, who has internally shifted the play from Ohio to Detroit. “It’s full of information and questions at every turn. The cast and I find something new to talk about at every rehearsal. I’ve always enjoyed Miller’s work, but this is the first time I’ve directed a Miller play. The deeper I delve into it, the more I see and the greater is my appreciation for Miller’s talent.”

The cast includes David Williamson as Joe Keller, Rachel Oprea as Kate Keller, Jeff Sams as Chris Keller, Kari Carter as Ann Deever, Rick Flynn as Dr. Jim Bayliss, Adee McFarland as Sue Bayliss, Todd Rohrer as Frank Lubey, Heather Atkinson as Lydia Lubey, and Noah Rutkowski as Bert.

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"Everyone who sees the play will take away something different depending on his or her own life experiences," Kent said. "Some will identify with Joe, the father who tries to do what he thinks best for his family, or Kate, the mother who tries to control everything in her power to keep her family happy.

“Others will identify with their son, Chris, who flew planes in the war and was in command of a company of men who fought for our country. There are many themes in this play, and the audiences will certainly have no shortage of things to ponder when they leave the theater.”

“All My Sons,” the winner of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, was Miller’s first commercial success. His landmark 1949 drama “Death of a Salesman” won the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize. “The Crucible,” produced in 1953, also won a Tony for Best Play. Miller was also awarded the National Medal for the Arts, two Emmy Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors, and received an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay of the 1996 film adaptation of “The Crucible” which starred his son-in-law Daniel Day-Lewis.


WANT TO GO?

What: "All My Sons"

Where: Dayton Theatre Guild, 430 Wayne Ave., Dayton

When: Aug. 18-Sept. 3; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 5 p.m. (with the exception of the Aug. 19 performance beginning at 8 p.m.); Sundays at 3 p.m.

Cost: $20 for adults; $18 for seniors; $13 for students

Tickets/more info: Call (937) 278-5993 or visit daytontheatreguild.org

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