"All My Sons" - by Arthur Miller - Lyric Stage Company (Boston, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: Josephine Moshiri Elwood as "Ann Deever" with Mark Souza as "Chris Keller" in a scene from Arthur Miller's "ALL MY SONS," now playing at Lyric Stage Company in Boston, MA. until October 18, 2026. Photo Credit: Benjamin Rose)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“I don't know why it is, but every time I reach out for something I want, I have to pull back because other people will suffer."
- ("Chris Keller") / Arthur Miller
Lyric Stage Company
Presents Arthur Miller's
"ALL MY SONS"
Written by Arthur Miller
Directed by Scott Edmiston
Cast Includes: Allison Beauregard as “Sue Bayliss,” Cara Clough as “Lydia,” Laura Marie Duncan* as “Kate Keller,” Josephine Moshiri Elwood* as “Ann Deever,” Chris Heuisler as “Dr. Jim Bayliss,” Julian Hirshfield as “Bert,” Quinton Kappel as “George Deever,” Eric McGowan as “Frank Lubey,” Bill Mootos* as “Joe Keller,” Mark Souza* as “Chris Keller.”
Additional Creative Team:
Scenic Design - Janie E. Howland**; Costume Design - Chelsea Kerl; Lighting Design - Karen Perlow**; Sound Design & Composer - Oleg Smirnov; Production Stage Manager - Nerys Powell*; Assistant Stage Manager - Charlie Berry*; Head Electrician - Matthew Breton; Audio Supervisor - Eddie Pizzano.
* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
** Represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE
Performances:
September 18, 2026 through October 18, 2026
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
All performances to be held at LYRIC STAGE OF BOSTON, 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA. 02116
TICKETS:
Contact the Box Office at # 617-585-5678 or go to lyricstage.com
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
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(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
Kicking off their 2026-2027 season, Lyric Stage Company presents a fresh perspective on an American classic with Arthur Miller’s timeless and powerful "ALL MY SONS."
As this absorbing Lyric production unfolds, a father and son, who share running a successful business together, come face to face with their ideological differences as the son is forced to take moral and legal responsibility for the actions of the father.
Events begin a few years post-World War II, innocuously enough in a "Mayberry-esque" or Norman Rockwell style setting of a typical back yard of a home.
Located in a suburban American neighborhood, soon the comforting quaintness associated with the surrounding descends into utter chaos.
At its core, "ALL MY SONS" conveys man's inexhaustible ability to lie to others, lie to themselves, to betray and guilt others into achieving their own sense of what is believed to be the “American Dream."
Viewed through a 2026 lens, where schoolchildren are bombed and healthcare patients perish upon prescription denials all seemingly without any one person assuming accountability, it is almost adorable just how high the “moral high ground” is presented here.
The three-act "ALL MY SONS" (presented by Lyric as two) was written over three quarters of century ago (in 1946) by Miller, a titan among American playwrights.
The staging by Lyric Stage Company director Scott Edmiston, effectively illustrates how relevant the Miller tale still is today.
Equally effective are the perceptive performances by the Lyric cast.
While various revelations are revealed, the characters, as written and performed, sometimes with added isolated lighting, have moments where listening is crucial to the revelations explored.
(Photo: Bill Mootos as "Joe Keller" in a scene from Arthur Miller's "ALL MY SONS," now playing at Lyric Stage Company in Boston, MA. until October 18, 2026. Photo Credit: Benjamin Rose)
Based on a true story (reported between 1941–43) the play's events were inspired by Ohio’s Wright Aeronautical Corporation which conspired with army inspection officers to approve defective aircraft engines destined for military use, culminating in a full investigation coordinated by then-Sen. Harry Truman.
To think there was a strong possibility we might never experience this iconic piece of theatre had Miller’s previous Broadway effort “The Man Who Had All the Luck” not bombed so overwhelmingly on Broadway (closing after only four disastrous performances).
Miller wrote "ALL MY SONS" as a last-ditch effort to make a commercially and critically successful play.
If it had not happened, Miller asserted he would "find some other line of work."
Thankfully, he struck pay dirt as "ALL MY SONS" opened a year later on Broadway, in 1947, and ran for a respectable 328 performances.
Miller dedicated the original debut production to its director, the great but controversial Elia Kazan, but the relationship between these two giants would ultimately mirror some of the moralistic elements contained in the drama.
The play would go on to receive the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and both Miller and Kazan would ultimately receive Tony Awards (respectively for Best Author and Best Direction of a Play).
"ALL MY SONS" focuses on achieving the “American Dream” at all costs and, during the period of 1950s American history recalled as the “Red Scare,” the story came across as so volatile, so threatening by some, that Miller himself was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Kazan and Miller both held liberal views but Kazan, also called to testify, gave names of actors suspected of being Communist sympathizers to the Committee which instantly threw prominent actors' names onto an infamous Hollywood “blacklist” - a list which effectively, and literally, ended careers.
As part of his Hollywood legacy, much like the main character in Miller’s "ALL MY SONS" forgiveness or absolution for Kazan's actions never came during his lifetime.
In "ALL MY SONS" Miller pulls no punches in presenting his condemnation of (and a powerful moral tone for) the betrayal of one’s own beliefs and values.
He does so to the point where it impacts an entire family (and the families of others), all due to one person’s toxic and selfish pursuit of wealth, notoriety and material gain.
(Photo: The CAST of Arthur Miller's "ALL MY SONS," now playing at Lyric Stage Company in Boston, MA. until October 18, 2026. Photo Credit: Benjamin Rose.)
Set in a post-World War II world, Joe Keller (Bill Mootos) finds himself both wealthy and 60-years-old.
Neighborhood kid Bert (Julian Hirshfield) wanders into the Keller backyard from time to time to play a game with Joe.
The young man is unaware of just how familiar Joe Keller is already with the game called "Jail."
Keller served some jail time but was absolved of criminal charges that he knowingly shipped defective aircraft engine parts for planes during the war, even though some still believe he actually committed the crime which resulted in the deaths of 21 pilots (yes, the rock band "Twenty-One Pilots" took their name from the Miller story).
To achieve his legal absolution, blame was placed squarely on Keller's partner, the unseen character of “Steve Deever” who is still incarcerated.
However, truth ultimately finds its way back to haunt Keller and it impacts his whole family.
One might see this scenario played out on any "Law and Order" franchise episode as "depraved indifference" - whereby one person's actions result in death, even though that person may not have explicitly intended to kill.
Again…the "day of reckoning" premise here with facing one’s own “moral accountability” is simply precious, isn’t it?
"ALL MY SONS" is widely considered a “morality play” because it heavily focuses on ethics, personal guilt and social responsibility Miller wrote the above scenario in such a way that it has since become a defining moment in theatre and this Lyric Stage cast, led by Mootos, ingeniously leans into the moral outcome.
As Keller, Mootos makes us believe that this is a good family man, belying the reality of this businessman’s heinous actions which become revealed as the story unfolds.
Keller seems like a kind, funny, genial older man who totally loves his family - and they him - but that mutual love is about to be sorely tested...by truth.
In that Keller backyard which soon becomes an ethical testing ground, Joe must choose between familial loyalty and moral social responsibility.
Keller’s wife, Kate (Laura Marie Duncan), is a generous woman who has had to live in emotional distress because of Joe’s incarceration and suspected crime.
Kate has done this while still lamenting the loss of their younger son, Larry, who has been three years listed "Missing in Action.”
(Photo: Laura Marie Duncan as "Kate Keller" in a scene from Arthur Miller's "ALL MY SONS," now playing at Lyric Stage Company in Boston, MA. until October 18, 2026. Photo Credit: Benjamin Rose.)
Older son, Chris (Mark Souza), a veteran, is home now but is suffering from what we now recognize to be PTSD (although, as a mother whose two sons each served in brutal, catastrophic conflicts and a husband accused of a heinous act, Kate might also easily be diagnosed as having the same condition).
Chris idolizes his father, not knowing the gravity or depth of his suspected crime.
Navigating a difficult mother and son relationship, Duncan and Souza are fascinating to watch, with Souza's Chris slowly building in intensity as the story evolves.
Chris has summoned to the Keller home the imprisoned Deever’s daughter, Ann (Josephine Moshiri Elwood), to propose marriage.
Kate believes Ann to still be "Larry’s girl," which causes a family rift as Chris and Ann announce their intention to marry.
Elwood gives a passionate portrayal of the empathetic Ann who may know more about the truth of her father than she lets on.
In fact, Ann knows many truths about many things which do not get revealed until much later.
Why she holds onto such critical pieces of information is a delightful mystery of Miller’s piece, best left to discuss after the show.
We witness as the "American Dream" takes a beating in "ALL MY SONS," but we still hope things work out for the Keller family, especially for son Chris, so he can live that dream for himself.
Tragically, that is also exactly what the surviving families of the dead 21 servicemen probably wanted for their sons, as well.
(Photo: Josephine Moshiri Elwood as "Ann Deever" with Mark Souza as "Chris Keller" in a scene from Arthur Miller's "ALL MY SONS," now playing at Lyric Stage Company in Boston, MA. until October 18, 2026. Photo Credit: Benjamin Rose.
Arriving on the scene is Ann’s older brother, George (Quinton Kappel), is a childhood friend of Chris who is also a vet and has become an effective lawyer.
George has learned the truth about his father and of Joe’s crimes – and, in his efforts to confront Joe and stop Ann from marrying Chris, all hell breaks loose.
While only on stage for one scene, not giving his character much of an arc to explore, Keller gives an unrelenting portrayal of George, whose presence leads to one of the most pivotal moments in the show.
Other characters we meet are the dissatisfied Dr. Bayliss (Chris Heuisler) and his unpleasant wife, Sue (Allison Beauregard), the latter of whom confronts Ann about her resentment of Chris, with Sue claiming she feels Chris is causing dissent in the Bayliss' marriage.
Heuisler and Beauregard are fine on stage (together and separately) but, given how much of the play's focus is on the Keller family with Ann, the Bayliss' troubled marriage becomes little more than a footnote by comparison.
Frank (Eric McGowan) is a bit of an oddball neighbor who successfully avoided the draft and wound up marrying George's former sweetheart, Lydia (Cara Clough).
As is the case with Heuisler and Beauregard, McGowan and Clough, are also effective in their roles but the Miller focus, again, is less on them so we don't see much of an evolution.
This is a shame as all four characters offer some of the play’s lighter and more humorous moments.
(Photo: Bill Mootos as "Joe Keller" with Mark Souza as "Chris Keller" in a scene from Arthur Miller's "ALL MY SONS," now playing at Lyric Stage Company in Boston, MA. until October 18, 2026. Photo Credit: Benjamin Rose.)
The Lyric set design for "ALL MY SONS" of the Keller backyard is equally simple and idyllic, contrasting sharply with the less than tranquil moments established in the story.
Costumes, hair and make-up for the Lyric Stage production are all in keeping with the late 1940s timeframe.
Arthur Miller's "ALL MY SONS" continues in Boston until October 18th and is a fabulous way to kick off Lyric Stage Company's latest season.
Coming up next at Lyric Stage Company will be the hilarious "PETER PAN GOES WRONG" by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, running from November 13th, 2026 through December 31st, 2026.
For more information and tickets, contact the Lyric Stage Company Box Office at # 617-585-5678 or go to lyricstage.com.
BUY TICKETS
Approximately two hours, 20 minutes with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
Summer 1947.
Joe Keller, a self-made business-man and respected pillar of the community lives with his family in an idyllic neighborhood.
It’s a good life.
Even though a son remains missing after the war as his mother optimistically hopes for his return.
Joe buries the truth about the role he played in the tragic death of 21 pilots during the war by issuing defective airplane parts that he manufactured alongside his business partner.
Inspired by a true story, Arthur Miller’s classic drama "ALL MY SONS" explores how one man’s moral bankruptcy and the decisions he makes results in devastating consequences for those he loves and aims to protect.
ABOUT THE LYRIC STAGE OF BOSTON
Founded in 1974 and in residence at 140 Clarendon Street since 1991, THE LYRIC STAGE OF BOSTON is Boston’s oldest resident theatre company. Our mission is to produce and present live theatre in Greater Boston with an intimate approach that promotes inclusivity and connection. THE LYRIC STAGE leads an effort to integrate live theater and theater education into the lives of all residents of greater Boston.
140 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA. 02116
# 617-585-5678
