All My Sons NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (399)
See it if powerful family drama set 2 years after WWII, effect of its tragedies on the family; consequences of greed - not all immediate; great set
Don't see it if want fluffy happy ending, don't want initial understanding of characters to be turned upside down, don't want emotional drama Read more
See it if You want to experience Miller at his best. A universal story of drive to protect and love one’s family v other human beings.
Don't see it if You don’t want to be challenged and touched by a story of deep, sad ethical conflicts between familial v societal needs.
See it if Tracy Letts + Arthur Miller = Amazing. If you like old-school drama, theater that relies on the script (versus special effects or music).
Don't see it if if you can't overlook that many other characters were miscast.
See it if You are a fan of classic American drama. You won’t be disappointed
Don't see it if You want to see something funny and light. Read more
See it if you love plays you love Arthur Miller you enjoy thinking about morality you want a taste of the goneby simpler days of life you love Annette
Don't see it if you don't like a drama you are looking for a musical Read more
See it if you want to see a beautifully acted version of an important classic. The cast is excellent, as are the set, costumes, and direction. See it!
Don't see it if you don't like classic dramas or longish plays. But it really is nicely done (and I have seen several productions) so it is worth seeing.
See it if you love great theater. Seeing Arthur Miller work is thrilling - and this was magnificently directed and acted. Resounding impact.
Don't see it if you only want light weight stuff. This is heavy and multi-layered.
See it if Beautifully written classic of love, deceit, anguish, inner turmoil and desire for happiness. I bow down at the feet of Arthur Miller.
Don't see it if you can't deal with heartbreaking stories that tear families apart or you prefer musicals. If you can, this is a play that should be seen.
Critic Reviews (43)
"This production stays painting itself on the surface like bug repellent. Their 'All My Sons' is trying to see it all as humanly as possible, but slips on the wet grass, out from under its own steady feet...The production stumbles, failing to live up to the tragedy that swirls around the home, leaving familial destruction that has little impact on those baring witness to the events. I was as unflinching as Kate, when I wanted to be as devastated as Chris."
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“While Jack O’Brien’s production of 'All My Sons' is too literal, there is something to the double-edged performances, particularly from Benjamin Walker, that still make this Arthur Miller play rattle...Walker threads this all finely and his collapse at the end of the play makes you believe Chris may never find his footing again. It’s the performance that makes this production worth seeing. The rest of the production is frustratingly pedestrian."
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"For much of the play, Bening's Kate displays a much harder edge than usual, not only letting her barely-contained anger and grief come to the surface time and again, but also signaling that she has lost the strength to keep acting the parts she's been assigned: the mourning mother and the supposedly-innocent wife. It's a truly triumphant performance that makes us sad for all we haven't been able to witness during her prolonged absence."
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"'All My Sons' is moderately effective, with strong histrionics from its three leads, but never fully rises to the occasion. Miller's play resonates with contemporary relevance (think capitalistic excess, faulty airplane issues, and 'exoneration') but, at least in this version, seems more dated, wordy, and melodramatically contrived than ever…The emotional storm and stress reaches hurricane levels but, because the situations seem so carefully manufactured…it fails to truly break your heart."
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"Those climactic performances by Bening, Letts and Walker will be enough for many audience members. For theatergoers who might join in the criticism that the script is dated or implausible or otherwise flawed, it’s useful to consider this production through three lenses. The first is the time in which it was written and in which it is set...Here is where the second lens comes in handy – seeing the play as Miller intended it to be, as a Greek tragedy involving everyday Americans."
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"Thrillingly acted – with performances that threaten, tantalizingly, to go over the top, but stop just short – Jack O’Brien’s production for the Roundabout is a vigorous anatomy lesson, a show about how guilt and transgression can rot a family from the inside, spoiling everything they touch...Letts is giving a master class in an inner, cringing weakness camouflaged by shows of strength. His performance is big, brash even, but never without nuance."
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"Bening makes us feel the weight of her burden...She doesn’t quite match her gifted co-star’s ease of performance on stage...Jack O’Brien’s production means to give us a very naturalistic 'All My Sons.'...Which is another problem. The grass is a little too green, the wisteria too lavender...Chris and Ann don’t make a good couple, at least as awkwardly performed by Walker and Carpanini. The two actors don’t even physically look right together."
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"As fine a production of a Miller play as I ever hope to see...Director Jack O’Brien uncovers a depth and breadth in the play that I had not found in previous productions. He also knits the various subplots together with uncommon skill...Miller’s depiction of the dark side of the American Dream sadly remains as relevant now as it was in 1947."
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