There must be something in the cultural moment because two major and starry revivals of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” are opening this week. On Broadway, Roundabout’s production is helmed by Tracy Letts and Annette Bening, and at London’s Old Vic Theatre, the production stars Bill Pullman and Sally Field.
Before this production, “All My Sons” had not been seen on Broadway in just over a decade. The last version was directed by English experimentalist Simon McBurney and used many of his signature innovations, such as seating the entire cast on stage to watch the action unfold. Other Miller plays have been revived more recently in two productions helmed by iconoclastic European director Ivo van Hove — “The Crucible,” and a stunning reinterpretation of “A View From the Bridge.” The latter interpretation was so revelatory I was convinced that it would no longer be possible to appreciate a more traditional directorial approach to any play in the Miller cannon.
