All My Sons

By: Arthur Miller

Narrated by: Julie Harris, James Farentino, Arye Gross, full cast

Length: 1 hr and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

World War II is over, and a family mourning a son missing in action plants a memorial tree and tries to go on with their lives. When a storm blows down the tree, a devastating family secret is uprooted, setting the characters on a terrifying journey towards truth. A Tony Award Winner for Best Author (1947). A co-production with The Smithsonian Associates, Voice of America and Arena Stage. 

Includes an interview with historian Bill Yenne, author of The American Aircraft Factory in World War Two, one of his many works that chronicle the history of wartime aviation and manufacturing.  

Recorded at Voice of America, Washington, D.C. in February 2000. 

Directed by Nick Olcott 

Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg

An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance starring: 

James Farentino as Joe Keller 

Arye Gross as Chris Keller 

Julie Harris as Kate Keller 

Mitchell Hébert as Dr. Bayliss 

Naomi Jacobson as Ann 

Barbara Klein as Lydia 

Paul Morella as George 

Michaeleen O'Neil as Sue 

Nathan Taylor as Bert 

Jerry Whiddon as Frank

Recording Engineer: Gary Jaffee.  

Live Sound Effects: Gary Spizler. 

Stage Managers: Danisha Crosby and Lynn Filusch 

(P)1998 L.A. Theatre Works

terrific play, great performances

This was not a title I knew anything about, but since I've enjoyed many Arthur Miller plays, I decided to take a leap - and I'm so glad I did. Emotional turmoil, secret and lies, in a family and a neighbourhood after World War II, and many of the ideas come up in future plays.

Twenty One Pilots.

This was amazing. I found out about this book from my favorite band. Twenty-one Pilots. Their name was inspired my this book, amd the decision that had to be made here. Tyler apparently took the weight of the decision and applied it to his personal life.

HAD TO READ FOR ENGLISH LIT ... SO GLAD I DID!

Would you listen to All My Sons (Dramatized) again? Why?

Yes. The actors were so great. I knew nothing about this story and I am so glad I didn't. The ending was very surprising and emotional ... I really felt the pain of the characters.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The mother. Julie Harris NAILED this part. Her voice was perfect and I felt her anguish, anger and indignation all through the reading. She is always sheer perfection in her parts, but this one in particular really shines.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Their voices showed every nuance of the emotion of the play. I really

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending... wasn't expecting it. The actors were superb. I can see why this play won the Circle Award for Best Play.

Any additional comments?

Now I know why they make us read the books they do in our college literature classes. These are truly classics and timeless stories that still apply to us today. Thank God for the abiity to

Outstanding!

So good I had to hear it twice to catch how well Arthur Miller structured the play and dialogue. I can see why this has won so many awards.

great play

Miller is one of my favorite play writes. The Drama in this play is very tight. The interplay between the characters was lovely and pretty raw at certain times. Ass in a lot of plays, this one is set at a moment where a number of separate dramas collide in rapid succession. Somewhat too many. that was the biggest issue for me. In all other ways though, I enjoyed it completely.

it is by no means Miller's best, but it made for some tense drama. And the actors were all fantastic.

A great cast

This is a really great recording of the original play. The cast was so great, and they add in background sounds to enhance it. Really great.

Great story only made better with performance

the story was well written but was just amazing well performed. I highly recommend listening to this. its strong and emotional and really captures the listener

Excellent

Who knew you could fit so much emotion in one hour and 54 minutes! The tale of a loving family and the horrible turns and realizations that occur. Loved it!

Very emotional and moving

This is based on a real incident during WW2. The actors are all wonderful and perfectly cast. This is one of the best recorded plays I've heard on Audible.

Great performance!

Our local community theater will be performing this next year so I purchased it as reference material. Julie Harris was outstanding, as usual! This performance was so much better than the movie (1948). The characters in this performance seemed to portray the complexities of the characters the way Miller intended. Definitely would recommend this to anyone who wants a different perspective on the war years than the one old Hollywood liked to show.

A classic, but too much shouting

It’s a wonder the actors didn’t get sore throats, all the screaming and yelling going on as the play progressed. It became tedious. Is it really necessary to shout and scream in order to convey emotion? Spoiled it a bit for me.

Absorbing listening

Really good, a great winding up of tension towards the end and not too sentimental at the finish.

Great performances

The performances were excellent, the play translated so well to audio format, I can see why it was reviewed as depressing when the play originally opened - it isn’t happy - but it is extremely moving. I liked the little history lesson at the end as well, gives some context to a time I don’t know too much about.

Great book!

I'm fairly new to Arthur Miller's books/play's, but I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying his work...

Timeless

I return to this play time and again. Always relevant. There will always be a heavy price to pay for failing to embrace society as an extension of family.

Simply Outstanding

This provided great assistance to my study of the play. I am able to use this as clear reference when I am in short of time to read the book itself.

The narration was clear and it was easy to follow and distinguish which character was speaking.