“We might be through with the past, but the past ain’t through with us.”
—Jimmy Gator, in Magnolia
There are several tangled common men in All My Sons—none of them
really happy on their best days, and at least one suffering from what we’d
now call trauma. The most tangled of all, though, is Joe Keller, a 60-ish
factory owner who went to prison briefly during the war for allowing 120
cracked engine heads to be shipped from his factory and installed in
Curtiss P-40s, those single-engine planes that became iconic for the shark
eyes and teeth often painted on their noses. Because of the defective
parts, 21 fighter pilots died. Joe eventually came home with an official
document attesting to his exoneration, but his partner, friend, and
next-door neighbor, Steve Deever, remained behind in the penitentiary.
Through 2/11: Wed-Thu 7:30 PM, Fri 8 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PM, Sun 2:30 and 7:30 PM, Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis, 773-753-4472, courttheatre.org, $44-$74.
