Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre returns this summer with another stellar line-up of plays – and currently on the bill is Timothy Sheader’s stellar adaptation of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. Coming on the heels of a highly successful West End version of the classic play just a few years ago, Sheader’s production is inevitably a no-frills arrangement by comparison – but it uses its venue wonderfully to its strengths.
Taking place over the course of one night in small-town 50s America, All My Sons concerns two families bound by love and war. At the centre of it all is a character only ever referred to by name – dead soldier Larry Keller, who never came home from the war. His mother Kate (Brid Brennan) refuses to move on, waiting for her son to return; meanwhile, his brother Chris (Charles Aitken) announces his engagement to Larry’s sweetheart Ann (Amy Nuttall) and patriarch Joe’s (Tom Mannion) secrets begin to unravel.
It’s that final thread which proves most powerful and engaging, yet it takes a while to really kick in; in fact, it isn’t until after the interval, when darkness begins to descend on the simple (yet effective) stage, that All My Sons truly captures our imagination. Yet when it does, the powerful performances of all involved make for a truly gripping finale, as George (Andy McKeane), the son of Joe’s imprisoned friend Steve, shows up on the scene to find out the truth about his father’s conviction once and for all.
A few wonderful staging choices really illuminate the power of the venue; taking place almost entirely in the front yard of the Kellers’ house, the authenticity of the outdoors seeps into the play with gusto. It’s also a chance to witness some firsthand pathetic fallacy; presumably to the great delight of Sheader, on the night THN attended, a smattering of rainfall descended upon the stage as events built to an emotional climax.
It may take a while to get going, but for those unfamiliar with Miller’s work, that’s not necessarily a bad thing – as when the twists do come, you’ll find yourself all the more unprepared for it, allowing Sheader to deliver an emotional powerhouse of a production.
[usr=4] Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is currently taking bookings until September, with productions of All My Sons, To Kill A Mockingbird, Twelfth Night and more on the bill over the summer. Click here to book online now.
