Lightning has struck twice for visionary director Ivo van Hove in London's West End. Following his acclaimed production of A View from the Bridge, van Hove returns with a magnificent and shuddering take on Arthur Miller's 1946 masterpiece, All My Sons, at Wyndham's theatre.
A Towering Tragedy Reborn
This superb production perfects the art of doing less for more profound effect. Van Hove, renowned for his distinctive stamp on classic works, seems to step back here, allowing an extraordinary cast to not merely inhabit their roles but to become them through a kind of theatrical alchemy. Together, they articulate the devastating truths at the heart of Miller's play, which explores the corruptions of the American dream and the toxic inheritance passed from fathers to sons.
The play's themes feel strikingly relevant today. A direct line can be drawn from its narrative of selling faulty equipment to the government and the unaccountability of corrupt capitalist patriarchs to modern-day scandals, from Grenfell to the Covid-era PPE controversies.
A Family Torn Apart by Lies
The story follows the original with fidelity. Wealthy industrialist Joe Keller (Bryan Cranston) served jail time for knowingly supplying defective aircraft parts during the Second World War, leading to the deaths of 21 American pilots. He cleared his name by shifting the blame onto his business partner, Steve Deever.
Yet, the war has claimed other victims within his own family. His wife, Kate (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), clings to the hope that their son, Larry, will return home years after his disappearance. Their other son, Chris (Paapa Essiedu), plans to propose to Larry's former fiancée, Ann (Hayley Squires), who also happens to be the daughter of Joe's imprisoned partner.
Symbolist Power and a Dream Cast
Ingenious directorial tweaks render this a radically different experience. Miller's three acts are presented without an interval, creating a relentless pace reminiscent of ancient Greek fateful tragedy. The production delivers a Sophoclean examination of family, inheritance, and the psychology of blame, guilt, and complicity in an incredibly full-bodied and clarifying way.
The symbolist sparseness of Jan Versweyveld's set design elevates the drama into the epic and timeless. A felled tree lies across the stage, while a plain house front with a circular portal serves as a backdrop, transforming from a window into something more elemental like the sun or moon.
It is a rare privilege to witness an ensemble of actors of this calibre gel so completely. Paapa Essiedu is magnetic from his first entrance, his fractious confrontations with his father fraught with jeopardy. Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Bryan Cranston deliver powerhouse performances, alongside Hayley Squires's portrayal of a quietly desperate Ann. Tom Glynn-Carney brings searing intensity as Ann's angry brother, George. Every scene is potent, with no single actor overshadowing another; instead, each performance elevates the power of the whole.
This is a production that simply dazzles, achieving a remarkable theatrical alchemy. All My Sons runs at Wyndham's theatre, London, until 7 March.
