All My Sons

Splashing through the waterlogged road to The Watermill was quite an adventure - the theatre has managed not to lose a single show to the floods and their loyal audience still came on the one day they phoned around to advise people it was "tricky" - but looking at the churning water running through the old mill race you got some idea of how bad it could have been for this lovely theatre. I had the fish crumble ... wait, this isn't a restaurant review!

All My Sons is a beautifully written and incredibly moving piece. An American family, and their neighbours, are torn apart by the war, the death of a son and accusations of profiteering. The characters, and their individual collapses, are so well crafted and all we can do is watch as the train crash of their lives plays out in front of us. Relying on strongly developed characters rather than shock revelations we are drawn into these lives as if we were ourselves neighbours watching over the garden fence. Still fresh, still compelling and moving, this is a play I could watch time and again (good, its also part of this year's Open Air season in London).

Michael Thomas as the father and Jessica Turner as the mother provide the edgy, awkward, superficially happy family environment that this play needs while Siobhan O'Kelly as Anne and Adam Burton as Chris give the fundementally sad younger generation, scarred by war, death and loss. The whole cast create and maintain the middle American post-war feel and, despite a couple of slightly awkward (apparently unmotivated) mood shifts the entire show has a credibility that engages the audience fully.

A lovely production