War story has
strong cast,
timeless plot
Arthur Miller wrote "All My Sons" in 1947 when most Americans were still basking in the afterglow of the victory in World War II and memories of wartime corruption on the home front were fading. Almost 60 years and several wars now separate us from that point in time, but the issues and ideas Miller explored are still relevant.
Joyce Maltby, Hawaii Pacific University's director of theater, brings Miller's story to life in style as director of HPU's revival of Miller's classic. Community theater veterans Jim Tharp and Jo Pruden are the foundation of a compelling and thought-provoking production.
"All My Sons": Continues at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 7, except Thanksgiving Day, at Hawaii Pacific University's Windward campus. Tickets are $14 weeknights, $18 weekends (discounts for seniors, military and students). Call 375-1282.
Tharp (Joe Keller) and Pruden (Kate Keller) seem for a while to be on autopilot, simply reprising their familiar roles of lovable old codger and acerbic, sharp-tongued older woman. However, as the story plays out and becomes more complicated, they bring forth far more complicated and demanding characterizations that give the story its impact. To say more would require revealing key elements of Miller's plot; theater fans who know what to expect can anticipate excellent interpretations by the actors.
Chris Veatch (George Deever), previously seen in HPU's 2002 production of "Death of a Salesman" and as Jesus in "Godspell" at Army Community Theatre, delivers a fine performance in the smallest of the five core roles. Veatch personifies lean, aggressive anger while suggesting underlying vulnerability and brings a compelling, double-edged intensity to the role. His work is visually enhanced by costume designer Roxanne Vogelgesang's decision to put him in a single-breasted brown suit that sets him apart, as other men wear bulky double-breasted jackets.
The HPU production is most significant, however, marking the Hawaii debut of Carla Rzeszewski (Ann Deever). Rzeszewski gives the action an invigorating jolt of energy the moment she steps out onstage, and maintains it throughout many long and demanding scenes. She is "on" even when mutely observing other performers interacting, radiates an aura of joyous anticipation in several of the early scenes and is successful in visually projecting what Ann is feeling when other characters become confrontational in Act 2.
Rzeszewski's skill at showing Ann's emotions at work rather than relying on the dialogue to do it makes her work stand out even when she's sharing the stage in heated exchanges with Pruden, Tharp and Veatch.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE STORY'S timeless quality is due to man's penchant to make war, and its relevance comes with America's occupation of Iraq. War has meant big money for American businessmen, and some have sold the government substandard goods.
In this story, Joe Keller and his partner, Steve Deever, rush to fill a lucrative order for airplane engine parts when Deever discovers that a batch of cylinder heads are cracked. Rejecting them would delay production, jeopardizing the contract, so Keller tells Deever to weld over the cracks and ship the parts.
Keller apparently had a plan to create an extra batch of cylinder heads and somehow swap out the bad ones, but 21 fighter pilots die in crashes caused by the defective parts. Keller and Deever are charged with knowingly providing defective engine parts, but Keller successfully lies that he'd known nothing about it and denies telling Deever to hide the damage. He is released while Deever remains in prison, his wife deserting him and his two children now refusing to have any contact with their "murderer" father.
Meanwhile, the two men's sons -- George Deever, and Chris and Larry Keller -- serve in the armed forces. George Deever and Chris Keller return home as decorated combat veterans, but Larry Keller disappears on a mission off the coast of China. His mother, Kate Keller, clings to the hope that her missing son is alive and will not accept the possibility that Ann -- Larry's fiancee at the time of his last mission -- is now in love with Chris.
Eric C. Field (Chris Keller) is convincing in his romantic scenes with Rzeszewski, which provide his best moments in the show. Carolyn Cameron (Sue Bayliss) adds an impressive turn in a key scene opposite Rzeszewski as the cynical, materialistic wife of the local doctor (Peter Bunn).
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