Palmisano and DiVincenzo pack a punch in ALL MY SONS at Irish Classical

THE BASICS:  Don’t miss one of the remaining few shows of the great American playwright Arthur Miller’s ALL MY SONS, directed by Greg Natale and starring Peter Palmisano, Josie DiVincenzo Anthony Alcocer, and Candice Kogut, this Friday at 7:30, Saturday at both 3:00 and 7:30, with a last performance Sunday at 2, at the Andrews Theatre, 625 Main Street in downtown Buffalo (853-ICTCI). Running time, about 2-1/2 hours with one 10-minute intermission. The bar is well stocked and serves alcohol, coffee, and cookies.

THUMBNAIL SKETCH:  Patriarch Joe Keller’s manufacturing company made a profit during the war but having shipped defective airplane engine parts for P-40 Warhawks that led to 21 fatal crashes, who is to blame? Joe, whose sons were deeply ashamed, or Joe’s foreman, still in prison, whose daughter has now come back home to marry Joe’s surviving son? And what of Joe’s wife, who is in deep denial? Admitting her older son’s death will be admitting her husband’s guilt and vice-versa. It seems as if there are many more than 21 victims.

THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION

This was a great night of theater. The players, the play, the production, and the venue all came together to deliver a powerful punch to the gut. And, although this play was written in 1947, following World War II, it resonates today. In the Director’s Notes in the program, Greg Natale writes: “Substitute the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for WWII. Substitute the millions of boys who fought in WWI for four years for the hundreds of thousands of men and women who had 3 ,4, 5, 6 deployments to the current wars of fifteen years. Substitute Joe Keller’s manufacturing plant for Halliburton, private military contractors, or General Dynamics and the same moral dilemmas of greed are still at play in 2015.”

Being a “theater in the round” there are no bad seats at the Andrews Theatre, and for powerful family dramas, there is no finer venue. No proscenium separates you from the raw emotions on display. You are definitely “there.” Of course, this places special demands on the actors, who can’t just “plant and rant” but must be accessible from 360 degrees.  Fortunately, the cast delivered.

Peter Palmisano played the 60 year old Joe Keller to perfection and seemed to channel all the WWII vets that I have met, including my father and uncles and my friends’ fathers and uncles. There was a certain affected casualness covering up deep, deep emotions in all those guys and Palmisano, as I hoped he would, delivered. Broadway quality.

Equally adept at portraying a wide range was veteran stage and TV actress Josie DiVincenzo as Kate Keller, a woman living in denial while simultaneously being a powerful presence in the lives of all the other characters. Yes, she gets headaches and has to go inside the house from time to time, but DiVincenzo perfectly balances the moments that Kate leaves the family stalled, scratching their heads with the moments of what appear to be decisive action, driving the family forward. Again, Broadway quality.

Anthony Alcocer was good as the surviving son, Chris Keller, and like his on-stage mother, exhibits a wide range, from shy embarrassment to patricidal rage.  Not quite at the level of Palmisano and DiVincenzo, but they have more experience. Alcocer got big applause at the end.

Candice Kogut has a tough role as Ann Deever. Wow. She has to be her own woman while at the same time being defined by others, and two of them are unseen characters. She has “come home” to marry Chris Keller, but she’s also the former girlfriend of Chris’s deceased brother Larry Keller, she’s the estranged daughter of the still-imprisoned Steve Deever, the former business partner, and she’s the sister of George Deever, the outraged brother who has just come from visiting his father in prison. That last sentence sounds a little soap-opera-ish, but what can I say? It’s complicated. The bottom line is, actor Candice Kogut keeps it together, and, as almost every male character on stage remarks, looks great while trying to escape everyone’s expectations. If any playwright wanted to write a sequel to ALL MY SONS, there is rich material in the Ann Deever character. Well done.

Director Greg Natale showed a firm control over the action and excellent use of the space. The scene for all three acts (Act II and III continue without intermission) is “the back yard of the Keller home in the outskirts of an American town in August.” The set and the lighting by Brian Cavanagh were minimal yet believable, but special kudos go for the screen door leading from the back yard into the Keller house. That iconic screen door sound was a minor character in the play. Isn’t it funny how sometimes a little thing can symbolize a whole world?

The costumes by Dixon Reynolds were truly a blast from the past. Nicely done. And the music between scenes, provided by Tom Makar, was, as always with Makar, just right for the play. 

Photos: Gene Witkowski

*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)

ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.

TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.

THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.

FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.

FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!