Play by Arthur Miller. "I know you're no worse than most men but I thought you were better. I never saw you as a man. I saw you as my father" Joe Keller is alleged to have supplied World War II fighter planes with defective engines, leading to the deaths of 21 innocent pilots - a crime for which his business partner took the fall. One of Keller's sons, himself a pilot, is thought to have been killed in action. But his mother can't accept his death and equally can't accept that her dead son's fiancée has transferred her affections to her other son. The confrontations that ensue lead to the uncovering of a shameful family secret.
A compelling story of love, denial, guilt, social responsibility and the corrupting power of greed. Written in 1947, this was the first great success in Arthur Miller's supremely influential career.
Original West End London Production 1948 with Joseph Calleia and Margalo Gillmore
London Revival 1972 with Ken Wayne and Maxine Audley
1st West End London Revival 1981 with Colin Blakely and Rosemary Harris
London Revival 1992 with Ian Bannen and Marjorie Yates
London Revival 2000/2001 with James Hazeldine, Julie Walters and Laurie Metcalf
2nd West End London Revival 2010 with David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker
London Revival 2014 with Tom Mannion and Brid Brennan
3rd West End London Revival 2019 with Bill Pullman and Sally Field
Arthur Miller's other plays recently seen in London's West End include American Clock, Broken Glass, The Crucible, Death of a Salesman, The Last Yankee, The Price, Resurrection Blues and A View From The Bridge.
Original West End London Production 1948 - Globe Theatre
11 May 1948 to 12 June 1948 at Lyric Hammersmith (The Company of Four)
15 June 1948 to 18 September 1948 at the Globe Theatre (now Gielgud Theatre)
The cast featured Joseph Calleia as 'Joe Keller', Margalo Gillmore as 'Kate Keller', Richard Leech as 'Chris Keller', Harriette Johns as 'Ann Deever', John McLaren as 'George Deever', Hugh Pryce as 'Dr Jim Bayliss', Louise Lister as 'Sue Bayliss', Barbara Todd as 'Lydia Lubey' and Peter Hutton as 'Frank Lubey', with the role of 'Bert' shared between Robin Netscher and David Cole.
Directed by Warren Jenkins.
Produced by the 'Company of Four' - a non-profit company based at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, London and, initially linked with the Cambridge Arts Theatre, Glyndebourne and the Theatre Royal Bristol. The 'Company of Four' was founded in 1945 by Hugh 'Binkie' Beaumont, the managing director of the commercial theatrical producer HM Tennent, with the aim to produce new plays with new directors, and to specifically employ newly discharged servicemen and women following the Second World War.
London Revival 1972 - Sadler's Wells Theatre
Opened 10 April 1972, Closed 22 April 1972 at Sadler's Wells Theatre
The cast featured Ken Wayne as 'Joe Keller', Maxine Audley as 'Kate Keller', Richard Kay as 'Chris Keller', Linda Gardner as 'Ann Deever', Philip Bond as 'George Deever', Jonathan Adams as 'Dr Jim Bayliss', Jo Warne as 'Sue Bayliss', Susan Tebbs as 'Lydia Lubey', and John F Landry as 'Frank Lubey' with Eddie Sheppard as 'Bert'.
Directed by Caroline Smith with designs by Suzanne Billings, and lighting by Neville Currier.
Presented by the London Theatre Company.
1st West End London Revival 1981 - Wyndham's Theatre
Previewed 27 October 1981, Opened 4 November 1981, Closed 31 July 1982 at the Wyndham's Theatre
The original cast featured Colin Blakely as 'Joe Keller', Rosemary Harris as 'Kate Keller', Garrick Hagon as 'Chris Keller', Jill Baker as 'Ann Deever', Richard Durden as 'George Deever', David Baron as 'Dr Jim Bayliss', Pat Starr as 'Sue Bayliss', Pamela Merrick as 'Lydia Lubey' and Ken Drury as 'Frank Lubey', with the role of 'Bert' shared between Daniel Holender, Joseph de Marce, Miles Parsey and Bryan Rogan.
Directed by Michael Blakemore with designs by Hayden Griffin, and lighting by Rory Dempster.
London Revival 1992 - Young Vic Theatre
Previewed 16 January 1992, Opened 21 January 1992, Closed 7 March 1992 at the Young Vic Theatre
The cast featured Ian Bannen as 'Joe Keller', Marjorie Yates as 'Kate Keller', Matthew Marsh as 'Chris Keller', Suzan Sylvester as 'Ann Deever', David Westhead as 'George Deever', Robert O'Mahoney as 'Dr Jim Bayliss', Amanda Boxer as 'Sue Bayliss', Kate Lonergan as 'Lydia Lubey', and Eamonn Riley as 'Frank Lubey', with the role of 'Bert' shared between Daniel Costelloe, Martin Levy-Anderson and Hallam Rice-Edwards.
Directed by David Thacker with designs by Fran Thompson, lighting by Jim Simmons, and sound by Paul Anderson.
London Revival 2000/2001 - National Theatre's Cottesloe and Lyttelton Theatres
Previewed 30 June 2000, Opened 6 July 2000, Closed 18 October 2000 at the National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre
Previewed 28 July 2001, Opened 7 August 2001, Closed 6 October 2001 at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre
The cast at the Cottesloe Theatre in 2000 featured James Hazeldine as 'Joe Keller', Julie Walters as 'Kate Keller', Ben Daniels as 'Chris Keller', Catherine McCormack as 'Ann Deever', Charles Edwards as 'George Deever', Duncan Bell as 'Dr Jim Bayliss', Harriet Thorpe as 'Sue Bayliss', Beverley Longhurst as 'Lydia Lubey', and Paul Ritter as 'Frank Lubey', with the role of 'Bert' shared between Rory Copus and Aaron Johnson.
The cast at the Lyttelton Theatre in 2001 featured James Hazeldine as 'Joe Keller', Laurie Metcalf as 'Kate Keller', Ben Daniels as 'Chris Keller', Madeleine Potter as 'Ann Deever', Charles Edwards as 'George Deever', Nigel Cooke as 'Dr Jim Bayliss', Harriet Thorpe as 'Sue Bayliss', Beverley Longhurst as 'Lydia Lubey', and Stewart Wright as 'Frank Lubey', with the role of 'Bert' shared between Alexander Green, Aaron Johnson and Adam O'Sullivan.
Directed by Howard Davies with designs by William Dudley, lighting by Mark Henderson, music by Dominic Muldowney, and sound by Paul Groothuis.
2nd West End London Revival 2010 - Apollo Theatre with David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker
Previewed 19 May 2010, Opened 27 May 2010, Closed 2 October 2010 at the Apollo Theatre in London
A revival of Arthur Miller's classic play All My Sons in London starring David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker and directed by Howard Davies.
The cast featured David Suchet as 'Joe Keller', Zoe Wanamaker as 'Kate Keller', Stephen Campbell Moore as 'Chris Keller', Jemima Rooper as 'Ann Deever', Daniel Lapaine as 'George Deever', Steven Elder as 'Dr Jim Bayliss', Claire Hackett as 'Sue Bayliss', Olivia Darnley as 'Lydia Lubey', and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as 'Frank Lubey', with the role of 'Bert' shared between Ted Allpress, Tom Howard and Gabriel Steele.
Directed by Howard Davies with designs by William Dudley, lighting by Mark Henderson, music by Dominic Muldowney and sound by Paul Groothius.
This is a 're-staging' of the 2000 National Theatre revival for which Howard Davies won the Olivier Award for 'Best Director'.
Zoe Wanamaker's London theatre credits include David Mamet's Boston Marriage at the Ambassasors Theatre in 2001; A R Gurney's Sylvia at the Apollo Theatre in 1996; and Howard Davies' revival of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children, for the Royal Shakespeare Company, at the Barbican Theatre in 1984.
"In Howard Davies' hands All My Sons still scrubs up as every bit the masterpiece. Apeing Greek drama and Ibsen, Arthur Miller created something entirely American in this tale of a rich family, the Kellers, coping with the wartime death of its elder son, Larry. As each character emerges on to William Dudley's garden set, the stakes are raised, the knot in your stomach tightens... Joe's prosperity is tainted. During the war his munitions business sold some faulty weapons. Joe was exonerated. His business partner was not. Now Chris is marrying Ann, who is not just that man's daughter, she is Larry's former fiancee. Joe is gently dubious. Wanamaker, as his wife, Kate, is hostile. Their lies, their brilliant lies, are starting to unravel... Zoe Wanamaker flips superbly between vulnerability and flintiness, wounded but still fighting. David Suchet lets you see the cogs whirring, but never so much that you can't believe he could talk his way out of it. When they crumble, they take you with them. It's great acting. And what stands out from this captivating production is the way it shows how everything the Kellers do, everything we do, is a survival tactic. The truth can set us free, but it's going to hurt." The Times
"Joe Keller - who has come out of the war a wealthy man thanks to the aircraft production business he ran - once made a terrible error of judgment. His wife, Kate, is a distracted, doleful presence: hoping against hope that their son Larry, recorded as missing in action during the war, might, even three years on, still return to the family hearth.The couple have managed to achieve a veneer of normality, but it is shattered when their other son, Chris, comes home and announces he wants to make Larry's old girlfriend his wife. Zoe Wanamaker's unique, patented air of wide-eyed dottiness has never been used to better effect than in the role of the family matriarch. It is, however, David Suchet - with more than a hint of Edward G Robinson about him as he potters about so smugly in the opening scenes - who delivers the most astounding performance. In the play's final moments, he is a pathetically crumpled figure, as their son - Stephen Campbell Moore - confronts him with the truth about his life. Suchet has his back to the audience: one can see the fury in his son's eyes and feel the weight suddenly falling on the old man's shoulders. Miller ultimately puts us all on trial.This is a production of rare power and intensity, directed with great conviction and courage by Howard Davies." The Sunday Telegraph
All My Sons in London at the Apollo Theatre previewed from 19 May 2010, opened on 27 May 2010 and closed on 2 October 2010.
London Revival 2014 - Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Previewed 15 May 2014, Opened 20 May 2014, Closed 7 June 2014 at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
A major revival of Arthur Miller's classic play All My Sons in London at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre for a strictly limited run of just 27 performances.
The cast featured Tom Mannion as 'Joe Keller', Brid Brennan as 'Kate Keller', Charles Aitken as 'Chris Keller', Amy Nuttall as 'Ann Deever', Andy McKeane as 'George Deever', Simon Wilson as 'Dr Jim Bayliss', Tilly Blackwood as 'Sue Bayliss', Maddie Rice as 'Lydia Lubey', and Matt Cross as 'Frank Lubey', with the role of 'Bert shared between Ewan Harris, Charles Maddox and Johnny Peat.
Directed by Timothy Sheader with movement by Niamh Dowling, designs by Lizzie Clachan, music by Nick Powell, lighting by Guy Hoare and sound by Ian Dickinson.
When this production opened Sarah Hemming in the Financial Times said that "this production starts rather starchily and takes time to assert a grip, but as the play twists to its conclusion it becomes, as it should be, shattering... driven by some great performances." Serena Davies in the Daily Telegraph highlighted that "the closing in of a summer's evening provided the perfect accompaniment to Arthur Miller's All My Sons... When Miller cranks into the revelations that dominate, Ibsen-like, the play's second half, the show grips - even if the parading of the ghosts of the dead pilots near the end is clumsy." David Jays in the Guardian commented that "this production doesn't quite hit home, but intensifies as night falls, speaking its reproachful truths under a minatory rustle of leaves." Kate Bassett in the Times thought that "this production can seem mildly dull rather than deeply disturbing."
"The central figure is Joe Keller, an all-American family man whose material security is the result of some questionable dealings during the war. He supplied faulty cylinders to the air force and allowed his partner to take the rap when 21 men died. Yet in the course of a single day the illusions with which Joe has protected himself are suddenly dissolved and he has to acknowledge the costs of his self-interest. Tom Mannion's Joe seems perpetually clenched and shifty — his measured performance needs more weight. Brid Brennan is expressive as his loving but alienated wife Kate, Charles Aitken impresses as his tightly wound son Chris, and Amy Nuttall brings a bright-eyed vitality to Ann, the wholesome object of Chris's affections. Arthur Miller's drama loses some of its power in the expansive space of the Open Air Theatre... Timothy Sheader's solid production lacks a piercing primal intensity, and some of its gestures (such as a glimpse of the 21 dead airmen) compromise its grandeur rather than enriching it." The London Evening Standard
"In Timothy Sheader's al fresco staging of Arthur Miller's 1947 tragedy, the Keller home is a facade in more ways than one - just like the giant advertising poster that depicts a grinningly idealised Norman Rockwell family outside their white-clapboard house... Sheader's production takes time to exert its grip. Performing on an elevated platform atop a symbolic tangle of roots, the fine cast are forced to declaim in a manner that exposes the portentous aspects of the script. But as darkness falls, the intensity builds to a shattering climax. Tom Mannion's Joe doesn't sufficiently register the guilt twisting beneath the bluster and bonhomie, but, as his wife, the superb Brid Brennan haunts and terrifies, showing both the tyrannical manipulativeness and emotional desperation of her belief that their youngest son, missing in action, must still be alive. She makes you shiver more than the night air." The Independent
"As darkness draws in on the open-air setting of Arthur Miller's tragic tale of deceit and heartbreaking family breakdown, it lends pathos to proceedings. Tom Mannion's Joe Keller shiftily stalks the lawn outside his 1940s American dream house as his denial that he killed 21 airmen by selling damaged aircraft parts shakes and collapses. His beloved surviving son Chris, played solidly by Charles Aitken, and Downton Abbey's Amy Nuttall, who plays the bright object of his affections Ann, are both strong. But it is the dialogue that is the real star with some incredible lines." The Sunday Mirror
"Regent's Park is staging one of Arthur Miller's three bona fide masterpieces, All My Sons, and its dramatic intensity was only heightened by the amphitheatrical feel of the setting, the creaking trees adding to the sense of the claustral, the inescapable, the ghosts of soldiers past stepping out from the deepening shadows like furies... The plot unfolds with a gripping relentlessness, one electrifying scene after another, and performances to match. Tom Mannion, as Joe, is hearty and bluff, relaxed and irresistibly likeable... and Charles Aitken, as Chris, gives just the right sense of slightly wooden integrity, survivor's guilt and an obscure sense of shame... Timothy Sheader has given us a fine production of one of the 20th century's greatest plays. Just remember to take plenty of layers and a woolly hat." The Sunday Times
All My Sons in London at the Open Air Theatre Regent's Park with previewed from 15 May 2014, opened on 20 May 2014 and closed on 7 June 2014.
3rd West End London Revival 2019 - Old Vic Theatre
Previewed 13 April 2019, Opened 23 April 2019, Closed 8 June 2019 at the Old Vic Theatre
A major revival of Arthur Miller's classic play All My Sons in London starring Sally Field and Bill Pullman
The cast features Bill Pullman as 'Joe Keller', Sally Field as 'Kate Keller', with Colin Morgan as 'Chris Keller', Jenna Coleman as 'Ann Deever', Oliver Johnstone as 'George Deever', Sule Rimi as 'Dr Jim Bayliss', Kayla Meikle as 'Sue Bayliss', Bessie Carter as 'Lydia Lubey', Gunnar Cauthery as 'Frank Lubey', Theo Boyce, Ruth Redman, and Russell Wilcox, with the role of 'Bert' shared between Archie Barnes, Hari Coles, and Alfie Todd. Directed by Jeremy Herrin with designs by Max Jones, lighting by Richard Howell, and sound by Carolyn Downing.
When this production opened at the Old Vic Theatre in London in April 2019, Sarah Hemming in the Financial Times hailed "Jeremy Herrin's quietly devastating production... Bill Pullman, soft-spoken and affable, is subtly expert in the role... He is matched by Sally Fields' excellent Kate, tense as a telegraph wire... Most notably however, Jeremy Herrin's beautifully acted production brings the play's title to the fore. It is crowned by a superb performance from Colin Morgan as Joe's son Chris." Patrick Marmion in the Daily Mail wrote that "Jeremy Herrin's stellar new production featuring Sally Field, Jenna Coleman, Bill Pullman and Colin Morgan. Each of these impressive actors seems capable of delivering a mighty performance - but equally there are times when they feel like they are doing their own private turn." Neil Norman in the Daily Express praised "Jeremy Herrin's solid gold revival of Arthur Miller's first great play,...Leading a sterling cast - hats off to Jenna Coleman, Oliver Johnstone and Bessie Carter - Sally Field and Bill Pullman are magnificent... A morality play elevated to the level of Greek tragedy, this is an unforgettable night." Serena Davies in the Daily Telegraph thought that "When star casting pays off as handsomely as this it's a thrill to watch... in Jeremy Herrin's excellent production of Arthur Miller's first masterpiece... Ably supported by a superb cast who offer, not least, a little comic relief, it is none the less Sally Field and Bill Pullman, bringing the wisdom of age to the characters with the deepest flaws, who deliver the tragedy." Henry Hitchings in the London Evening Standard said that although "Jeremy Herrin's production, which at times feels underpowered... this is a revival that savours the complexities of Miller's characters... The highlight, though, is Sally Field's subtlety, with every loving gesture seemingly unbearably fragile." Dominic Maxwell in the Times highlighted that "the show has an intimacy that sometimes clashes with the acoustic demands of this large space... it's a quiet evening, but its cumulative power takes your breath away." Michael Billington in the Guardian described how, in "Jeremy Herrin’s fine production... Bill Pullman is excellent at conveying the character’s strenuous self-justification. Sally Field is superb as Kate... Colin Morgan captures perfectly Chris’s mixture of survivor guilt, intuitive awareness of Joe’s mendacity and love for his brother’s fiancee. Jenna Coleman endows Ann with just the right blend of glowing sensuality and steely determination." Aleks Sierz in the i newspaper commented that, "despite its star casting, Jeremy Herrin's production is disappointingly uneven... A great performance from Sally Field, but the final result lacks a coherent vision."
All My Sons in London at the Old Vic Theatre previewed from 13 April 2019, opened on 23 April 2019 and closed on 8 June 2019