The Heights Players Season Opener Is A Brilliant "All My Sons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                       When "All My Sons" landed on Broadway, in 1947, it made a name for Arthur Miller, one he would consolidate with "The Crucible," "A View From The Bridge," and the masterwork which this one foreshadowed, "Death Of A Salesman."

                          Though well versed in Miller's work, I had never read or seen "All My Sons."  Not even the movie, with Edward G. Robinson.  So, Joe Pacifico's production at The Heights Players was an eye-opening intro to this work.

                            "All My Sons" takes on capitalism, corporate America, greed, and the tragedy of loss during World War II.  That is a lot for any playwright or production to take on, but Pacifico's careful direction and guidance of his actors make for compelling drama.

                                Joe and Kate Keller are a decent, married couple.  Joe works for a factory making airplane parts for the war.  As the drama unfolds, it is discovered that he and his business partner, Steve Deever, whether intentionally or accidentally, allowed some defective parts to get into some planes, resulting in the loss of 21 men during World War II.   Deever, who was also Keller's neighbor, went to prison, while his wife and daughter Annie moved away. Joe was exonerated, and there is a lot of tension and resentment between the families.  Additionally, one of the Keller's sons, Larry, went down in a plane during the war, and Kate, like Lola Delaney in "Come Back, Little Sheba," clings to the hope that Larry will eventually return.  Now, Larry was engaged to the Deever's daughter Annie, but with his death, she and Chris form a bond.  And when Annie returns to visit the Kellers, intending to announce their intentions, all hell breaks loose.

                                But this allows for a marvelous quartet of acting performances.  Noelle McGrath, so superb as Grandma in "Lost In Yonkers," back in April, is heartbreaking as Kate Keller, clinging to her belief in Larry's return, despite son Chris trying to convince her otherwise.  And while Kate loves her husband Joe, wonderfully played and nuanced by Thomas S. Kane one gets the feeling, as the play progresses, that she knows Joe was wrong, and so does he.  Their almost counterparts are son Chris and his now fiancé, Annie, superbly played by Gabriel Pinciotti and Josie Wright. My heart went out to them, trapped in the time frame of their parents' mistakes, yet wanting to move on.  Annie is a tragic figure, suggesting Stella in "A Streetcar Named Desire."  Both are genteel, but also trapped in their time; what prospects were there for women then, aside from marriage?  Which is how Blanche ends up in the mental hospital, after Stanely deliberately sabotages her chance for Mitch, and Stella, in order to keep her marriage and baby, has to believe that Stanely did not rape Blanche, even though I always thought that secretly she believed he did.  Pinciotti and Wright are so heartbreaking as the young couple they almost detract from the Kellers.  When the curtain came down, I wondered if they were to marry; I so wanted them to get away from the mistakes of their parents' pasts.

                                   All this shows the play is gripping, edge-of-the-seat drama, the kind that used to be dished out in abundance, but today where are the writers like Miller, who can do so?

                                    I was lucky to see the show's opening performance; it deserved more than a two-week run; indeed, it could have been moved to Off-Broadway.  This is great writing and great acting opportunities for gifted performers.  So, if you missed this "All My Sons," catch a production that may pop up near you.  Audiences are in for a solid theater experience.

                                       It was like buttah, darlings, just like buttah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!