NO EASY SOLUTIONS ARE PROPOUNDED BY THE PLAYWRIGHT
Sons and sauter
Steve Cramer finds profound and uncomfortable truths beneath the text in the Royal Lyceum’s production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons.
brilliant. but profoundly uncasy cvcning awaits thc ‘Wcll. Saddam was a son ol’ a
bitch. so thc war was jtistil‘icd‘ school ol’
thought at thc l,yccum. So. too. thc ‘wc can only votc for thc torics in powcr or thosc awaiting powct“ tnindsct will t‘acc sonic scrupulous qucstioning. But pcrhaps most of all. thc 'cvcrything that happcns outsidc thc housc is just politics and nothing to do with mci-stylc sclli—dcludcr is in for a rough ridc.
And all this happcns in John l)ovc‘s production of
Arthur Millct“s carlicst classic. in thc coiitcxt of a family drama lull ol‘ thc dccpcst bcauty and tragic powcr. whcrc no casy solutions arc propoundcd. and no villain is in cvidcncc.
In casc you arcn't familiar with tbc tcxt. wc mcct
Joc Kcllcr (Stuart Milligan). a comfortably ol'l'
suburban Amcrican awaiting rctircmcnt with his wifc Katc (Kathryn llowdcn). a woman who rcl'uscs to acccpt that hcr son. killcd thrcc ycars bcl'orc thc play"s 10—17 historical location. is in fact not missing. but dcad. This prcscnts a problcm for (‘hris (Richard (‘onlon). thcir surviving son. a war vctcran himscll'. who sccks tnarriagc to Ann (Shonagh Priccl. his
brothcr‘s l‘ormcr lianccc. A scandal to do with hcr
l'athcr. .loc‘s. l‘ormcr partncr. has sccn l'aulty parts built into warplancs. and thc succcssion ol' dcaths this occasioncd has sccn him imprisoncd. But is thcrc somc sccrct harbourcd by Joc and his ostcnsibly happy bourgcois l'amily'.’ Into this coml‘ortablc world of l‘udgcd innoccncc and tacit complicity. tlic mcsscngcr in thc shapc ol' Ann‘s brothcr (icorgc (Robin l.aing) will bring a shattcring truth.
What’s so amazing ahout [)ovc‘s production. in front of Michacl 'l‘aylor’s pcrl‘cctly lawncd backyard sct is its intcgrity to Millcr’s tcxt. lts powcr lics in thc dircctor‘s insistcncc on dirccting. not autcurship. And intcgrity is thc kcyword hcrc. rctains a vcry contcmporary powcr l‘or l’orcnsic insistcncc on truth about contcmporary capitalism
that sccms cvcn morc nccdcd now than at thc timc of
thc play‘s lirst pcrl'ormancc six dccadcs ago. 'l‘hc sclll dclusions maintaincd by thc charactcrs arc all pcrl‘cctly undcrstandablc in thc contcxt. and thcrc is a momcnt. as (icorgc is takcn to thc bosom of thc family in qucstion. whcrc. l l'ccl surc. many in thc audicncc wcrc willing thc corruption to continuc bcncath all thc wartn scductivc bonhomic. th Millcr will not allow it. and rightly so. lnstcad wc arc l‘orccd to confront our own prcl‘crcncc t‘or casy dcccptions. for what (‘hris contcinpttiously calls 'practical' lil‘c.
'l‘hcrc arc pcrl'ormanccs ol' rcal distinction hcrc. 'l‘hc ccntral trio ol’ Milligan. llowdcn and (‘onlon arc supcrb. llowdcn’s trail. hall‘ brokcn. but dcspcratcly chippcr mothcr in particular is a trcat. 'l'hcrc is lirst ratc support. notably l'rom Mcg lirascr as thc doctor‘s wilc. whosc insistcncc that thc world bcyond thc pickct l‘cncc must bc kcpt at bay has turncd to brutal cynicism. and Laing as an ambivalcnt hcro-by- accidcnt. lndccd. thc cnscmblc work is uniformly strong on a night that should not bc misscd by anyonc with a tastc for human drama. or homc truths.
Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 10 Feb 0000
for Millcr hitnscll~
Theatre
Hit
THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
>l< 6-90 by Daniel Kitson Daniel Kitson returns with his Fringe hit of 2006. A warm, cuddly kind of monologue. it tells the story of a man who archives old cassette tapes sent by lovers and hopeful amours to their muses over the years. The curator himself has a delicate romance of his own on the go, the starting point for a bittersweet shaggy dog story. The Arches, Glasgow, Tue 23—Sun 28 Jan.
* Tartan Turns A night of Scottish variety. with a touch of contemporary cabaret, all for a good cause. This charity night will incorporate the skills of a succession of Scottish stars of stage, screen, comedy and music, and includes free teacakes from Tunnock's. The Jam House, Edinburgh, Sun 21 Jan.
* All My Sons Arthur Miller's earliest classic, this piece tells the story of a man who, having made a business decision that cost lives in wartime, finds his post-war family life falling apart. Miller's tragedy for the common man should be craftin exemplified by John Dove’s production. Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, until Sat 10 Feb.
>l< Scrooge Michael Barrymore reprises his acclaimed West End rendering of this adaptation of Dickens' famous tale. An accomplished entertainer presents an entirely new take on an established family story. Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Mon 29 Jan—Sat 70 Feb.
>l< Vertigo Red Shift presents a stage version of this acclaimed Hitchcock thriller under the direction of Jonathan Holloway. This company have a long record of stylish adaptations from film to theatre. Brunton Theatre. Musselburgh, Thu 1-Fri 2 Feb.
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