Review of 'All My Sons' at Center Playhouse in Freehold

The Keller family doesn’t have much to show beyond their 1946 Midwestern backyard and a questionable reputation, but they have plenty to tell in director and actor Anthony Greco’s vision of All My Sons by Arthur Miller. Many theater-goers are familiar with Miller’s post-World War II story, myself included, but the space that Greco and his team have used to create their rendition of the classic play is strikingly new and effective. I’ve worked in a lot of theaters over the years, ranging from astoundingly large to experimentally small, but never have I had such an experience of unwavering intimacy until I was invited to All My Sons.

That intimacy is created by the close proximity of the audience of forty nine to the action of the limited playing space that is the Keller’s small backyard. As the Keller’s face themselves and the past, we have no choice but to go along with them; try to distance yourself emotionally and you’re still stuck in their backyard physically, caught in the same trap that each character finds him or herself in. Enclosed by a homely, white picket fence and a bright blue sky that finds itself in the color of the house, the men’s shirts, and the women’s aprons, the actors turn their characters into their own P-40 aircrafts and pilot them without enough space to fly freely or safely. Everyone has a crack in one of their cylinder heads that threatens to send them crashing, and no two are alike, which is portrayed with a certain nuance by Greco’s cast.

Coming in as a new volunteer at Center Playhouse at the end of the All My Sons rehearsal process and the beginning of their performances, I am pleased to have received so warm of a welcome from everyone involved. They’ve made me feel instantly at home and part of the volunteer family – the same feeling I get when watching them perform All My Sons, but without all the grief and suspense. Though Center Playhouse is the smallest theater I have experienced to date, the All My Sons team has turned it into both a family backyard and a battleground; a successfully intimate experience that reminds me of reunions with the side of your family you haven’t seen since you were twelve – yikes!

All My Sons opened on Friday, June 6, 2014, the anniversary of D-Day, at Center Playhouse, located at 35 South Street in downtown Freehold. Performances run on weekends through June 29, 2014. Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00 PM and Sunday performances at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $25.00 for adults and $23.00 for seniors and students, and include refreshments. There are also reduced ticket rates for groups of ten or more. Call the Center Playhouse box office at (732) 462-9093 or visit the Center Players at www.centerplayers.org to purchase your tickets. Welcome to the (dysfunctional) family!

Nicole Capobianco of Manalapan is a volunteer blogger for Center Players.  She currently studies dramatic arts at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland.