Jimmy Smits and Alejandro Hernandez Photo by Kevin Berne

The play has been revived multiple times (most recently, a West end production starring Bryan Cranston), and now Berkeley Repertory Theatre has brought the play to Bay Area audiences in a gorgeous production that–while maintaining Miller's original text–reimagines the Kellers, the family at the heart of the show, as Puerto Rican immigrants, and the Deevers, whose patriarch, Steve, is Joe Keller's business partner, as Black. This choice by director David Mendizábal adds new layers of meaning to the story of hubris, guilt, duty, and self-preservation.

The action takes place in the summer of 1947, in the backyard of the Keller's two-story Midwestern home, stunningly realized in full scale by scenic designer Ann Louizos. As lights dim, the Roda Theatre fills with the foreboding sounds of a windstorm, followed by a sickening crack, which is revealed to have been caused by the wind snapping a young tree at its trunk. We will learn the tree was planted in honor of the Kellers' son, Larry, who has been missing in action after his plane went down some three years before. Though the rest of the family seems to have accepted the death of their son and brother, mother Kate (Wanda De Jesús) refuses to believe her first-born won't be returning. Encouraging her in this fantasy is next door neighbor Frank Lubey (a perennially cheery Brady Morales-Woolery), who is a believer in astrology and feels Larry must be alive somewhere, as the day his plane went down was a "favorable day" according to his star chart.

Despite the tragedy of losing a son, father Joe Keller (Jimmy Smits) radiates optimism. His business, a manufacturer that built components for airplane engines during the war but has moved on to products more suited to peacetime, has made him a financial success. His second son, Chris (Alejandro Hernandez), also a veteran, has joined the family business. Chris has also been corresponding with Ann Deever, the daughter of Joe's business partner and former paramour of his brother, Larry. They have fallen in love, and Chris has invited Ann to come home, where he intends to propose to her. Fearing his mother's reaction, Chris has not informed his mother of these plans.

But there's an even more fraught drama at the heart of All My Sons: during the war, Joe and Steve's company produced cylinder heads for the Curtiss P-40 fighter, but one batch had hairline cracks, which the company hid, but that ultimately resulted in the deaths of 21 pilots. (Interestingly, All My Sons was the inspiration for a successful Columbus, Ohio rock duo to choose "21 Pilots" as the name of their band.) Despite the fact that Joe was the owner of the company, it was Steve who took the fall, landing him in prison. Accepting that it was her father who was responsible for the deaths, Ann has refused to visit him.

This is not the only conflict in All My Sons. For, despite the cockeyed optimism often on display, there is a tension running through virtually all the relationships. The doctor next door, Jim Bayliss (Cassidy Brown), wants to shift careers to medical research, but wife Sue (Elissa Beth Stebbins) doesn't relish the cut in pay this would mean. There also seems to be lingering guilt from neighbor Frank, who was just old enough to be spared service in World War II, and has married Lydia (Regina Morones), who was once dating George Deever (Brandon Gill) before George went off to war.

All My Sons exists on so many levels that it would take me several thousand words just to scratch the surface of this masterful play. Miller's characters are richly drawn, and fully multi-dimensional. Miller makes sure we know what each character's goals are, and we watch with both delight and horror as they strive to achieve these goals or find themselves thwarted in their attempts.

Of course, everything in All My Sons revolves around Joe, and Jimmy Smits is brilliant in portraying all the varied aspects of this hopeful, yet deeply troubled man. Joe states at one point that "nothing is worse than letting down your sons," and he has worked hard to build a business which he hopes Chris will soon take over. Without spoiling too much, Miller will reveal that Joe's confidence is built upon a most shaky foundation, and rather than empowering and enriching the ones he loves, his legacy will end up being something much, much darker.

Smits is well supported by his fellow players. As his wife Kate, Wanda De Jesús is a portrait of pain. For virtually the entire 2-3/4 hours of All My Sons, De Jesús reveals the stress of hoping for the return of her son while somewhere deep inside she must know her hope is ill-founded. Her face is stressed taut, as though it is a dam holding back a flood of emotions that must one day overwhelm her. As son Chris, Alejandro Hernandez seems like the kind of guy you'd like as a best friend or a teammate who leads your side to victory. With his thick arms and massive torso, he has a physical presence which simply cannot be denied, and is occasionally menacing. Morales-Woolery, who was marvelous as Colonel Pickering in San Francisco Playhouse's recent production of My Fair Lady, is equally wonderful here, with a bouncy energy that gives the heavy drama of All My Sons the lift it needs from time to time.

As brother and sister George and Ann Deever, Brandon Gill and Maya Boateng have a chemistry that reveals the clashes that often mark sibling relationships, even though their scenes together are relatively brief. Elissa Beth Stebbins also deserves kudos for her revealing portrayal of neighbor Sue Bayliss, who is at first seen as a gently hectoring wife, but in act two reveals a venom that evidently underlies the feelings of many of the Kellers' neighbors.

From a technical and staging aspect, the show is flawless. The set, with its full-size colonial house with era-accurate outdoor furnishings and the suggestion of the Baylisses' home next door, fills every cubic foot of the Roda's capacious stage, and is lovingly lit (by designer Russell H. Champa). The costumes (by Toni Leslie-James) are period perfect, and add volumes to the verisimilitude of the post-war setting.

All My Sons is by no means a feel-good romp, so don't go expecting laughs (though there are a few comic moments), but do expect a thrilling evening of drama and heartbreak.

All My Sons runs through March 29, 2026, at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison Street, Berkeley CA. Shows are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays at 7:00pm, Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:00pm, with matinees Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00pm. There are additional matinees Thursday, March 4 and Thursday 26 at 1:00pm. Tickets range from $25-$182. For tickets and information, please visit www.berkeleyrep.org or call 510-647-2949.