National Theatre’s new live recording of their production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, starring Bryan Cranston and Marianne Jean-Baptiste, is a surefire hit that perfectly captures the essence of Miller’s play and is sure to have an unforgettable effect on every viewer. Directed by Ivo van Hove, the Belgian theatre director behind invigorating restagings of such classics as All About Eve, West Side Story, The Crucible, and Network, the play is a triumph of staging and performance.
For those unfamiliar, the play follows the Keller family in 1947—parents Joe and Kate (Cranston and Jean-Baptiste, respectively) mourn their MIA son Larry, while their other son Chris (played here by the excellent Paapa Essiedu) prepares to propose to Larry’s ex-fiancee Ann. Tensions arise when Ann’s brother George accuses Joe of selling the Air Force faulty airplane parts and allowing his and Ann’s father to take the fall and be imprisoned. Hove’s staging unfolds in a space that feels almost liminal, with the only set piece being a fallen tree trunk.
It serves the text well, removing the character’s abilities to hide and forcing them and their emotions to exist out in the open. This brings out magnificent performances from the cast. Cranston’s turn as Joe is as incredible as it is surprising, using the viewer’s familiarity with his reprehensible characters in projects like Breaking Bad to make them truly empathize with Joe and the pressure he is facing. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is as electric as ever, and serves as the play’s emotional core through her masterful portrayal of Kate’s grief over her lost son. By far the standout of the cast though is Essiedu as the pair’s son. Winning an Olivier award for his performance, he makes every single second of his time on stage burn itself into your memory. His performance is a once in a lifetime display of talent, and every audience member will walk away from their viewing excited to see what he does next on stage and screen.
While I unfortunately feel, as I do with many of these National Theatre live recordings, that things like editing and cinematography were left as an afterthought, it is undeniable that All My Sons is engrossing just on the power of its staging and performances alone, and that it will be an incredibly moving experience for any viewer.
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