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Posted by CHARACTER INFORMATION THE FAMILIES: Joe Keller: The father of Chris and Larry Keller, and the husband of Kate Keller. Joe is around 60 years of age, deeply practical, and a businessman to the core. The question of whether or not he sold defective parts to the military so that his business might survive is the central question of All My Sons. Joe’s strongest character traits are his unconditional love for and sense of loyalty to his family, and his readiness to do anything in his power to preserve his family’s financial security. Passing the highly successful family business he has built on to his son Chris is clearly his fondest hope. Ironically, it is this sense of loyalty that led to his committing a criminal act, which in turn is responsible for his son Larry’s suicide. Unlike Chris, Joe cannot see a larger world beyond that of his family, and so he doesn’t feel the moral responsibility toward others that Chris does. Even when his involvement in his company’s crime is exposed, Joe still feels that he hasn’t done anything wrong, because in his mind, he did it to save his business and therefore his family’s wealth. It’s only when he reads his son’s Larry’s suicide note that he finally admits he should have seen all of the men fighting in the war as his sons. The extent to which he finally takes responsibility and feels despair for the loss of life his actions brought on is indicated at the play’s end when he commits suicide. The challenges for an actor in this role are myriad. Kate Keller: The mother of Chris and Larry Keller, and the wife of Joe Keller. Kate’s grief over Larry’s death in the war is so intense that she seems to have only a tenuous hold on her own sanity. The only way she can contain her grief is by believing that he has been “missing” for three years and that someday he will return. Kate also appears to be somewhat cruel and manipulative. In order to maintain her illusion that Larry is alive, she will not under any circumstances accept Ann and Chris’s love for one another; she wants Ann to remain single and lonely, as a kind of monument to Larry. As the play develops, a deeper reason emerges for her wanting to believe that Larry is still alive. Crushed by her secret knowledge of Joe’s involvement in selling defective parts to the military, her only way of ignoring the fact that her husband is a murderer is to obsessively believe that somewhere her son is still alive. Even after Joe admits his guilt to his son, Kate is certain that she can convince Chris to let the family business continue as it is and that, in a way, Joe’s admission of guilt is positive, because Ann will no longer want to marry Chris. However, when Ann finally reveals Larry’s note, Kate is crushed and her final desire is to free her remaining son from the burden of his father’s sins. Though Miller later shifted the main focus of the play to the father-son relationship between Joe & Chris, Kate remains a dominating personality, and she has the first speech that takes the language of the play above the pedestrian level of chat. This is a wonderful, multi-faceted role for a mature actress. Chris Keller: Kate and Joe’s eldest son, and brother of Larry Keller. Chris is described by Miller as “a man capable of immense affection and loyalty” and as someone who “makes people want to be better than it’s possible to be.” These qualities arise from his war experience: he feels a sense of guilt for the men who dies under his command, and a corresponding sense of responsibility to make those men’s sacrifice mean something. Somewhat haunted by the fact that his father made a fortune from the war, he nevertheless works for his father and enjoys the benefits of his father’s wealth. As a war veteran, Chris despises Ann’s father for indirectly killing 21 American pilots because of his greed; however, he ignores his deepest, unspoken suspicions that his father was also involved. When Joe is finally exposed, Chris sees the last of his ideals die, and he is prepared to turn his father into the authorities. Chris’s conflicts and his final resolution bears witness to the primary theme of the play: “There’s a universe of people outside and you’re responsible to it.” A challenging depth makes this a great role for an experienced actor. Ann Deever: Former neighbor and fiancée of Larry Keller, Ann has returned to her hometown at the request of Larry’s brother Chris, who loves her and wants to marry her. She is an attractive, sensitive and vulnerable young woman of the period, damaged by Larry’s death and the fact that her father was convicted of knowingly selling defective parts to the military. Combined with her vulnerability, Ann exhibits great strength and resolution – she knows what she wants from her life and she is determined to get it. A challenging role for an experienced actress. George Deever: Ann’s brother, a lawyer in New York, George comes to the Keller household to confront Joe and accuse him of being involved in the crime that sent his father to prison. Just prior to coming to town, George has heard his father’s side of the story for the first time. He is full of remorse that he and Ann turned their backs on him. He comes to the Keller’s full of resolve to wrest a confession from Joe and put a stop to Ann and Chris being married. He is angry and embittered over the destruction of his family, but he’s also compassionate, and finds a warm reunion with Kate and Lydia Lubey – a woman he always liked and may have married. George’s visit sets in motion he chain of events that leads to Joe’s eventual confession. A strong role for an actor capable of portraying a wide range of believable emotions. THE NEIGHBORS The neighbors represent the chorus in the play, commenting on the action of the families, and they reinforce the central themes of the play. These characters are essential to the success of the production – without them, Miller’s intention cannot be achieved. Each of these roles presents their own unique challenges in supporting the spine of the play. Dr. Jim Bayliss: An uncertain man, wry and self-controlled - good friend of Chris Keller, husband to Sue. Jim is a successful doctor, but, as Miller describes, he “has a wisp of sadness about him.” The reason for this sadness is that he feels he’s a fraud because he treats wealthy patients who never really have anything wrong with them. At one point in the play he describes how happy he was as a young man in New Orleans, when he was poor and doing medical research. He admits there was no money to be made in the work, and he yielded to pressure from his wife and has set up a successful (and completely unrewarding) practice. In his friend Chris he sees a man who has fixed, noble principles and this makes Jim feel inadequate. Sue Bayliss: The doctor’s wife, a former nurse who helped to finance Jim’s medical education, Sue is a down-to-earth woman who always speaks her mind. Money is important to her, and she fully realizes how her financial support of Jim means that she can force him to compromise his ideals. She is also fully aware that Jim resents her for it, and she, in turn, resents Chris Keller, because, as she puts it, Chris “makes people want to be better than it’s possible to be.” Frank Lubey: Husband of Lydia, Frank is something of a well-meaning, good –natured fool who has the tendency to appear on the scene at inopportune moments and embarrass people by saying the wrong thing. An ardent believer in astrology, he is also constructing Larry’s horoscope for Kate, thereby assisting her in maintaining her belief that Larry is still alive. Lydia Lubey: The wife of Frank Lubey, it is Lydia who represents the complete and total innocence of the age – she is an attractive and vivacious young woman, liked by everyone. Bert: Representing the innocence of the young, Bert is a buddy to Joe. He looks up to him, and plays cops & robbers, longing to see the “prison” in the Keller’s basement.
on August 17, 2006, 10:18 pm, in reply to "Re: All My Sons"
Here's some more in-depth looks at the characters of the play. This information is offered for your consideration as you prepare for auditions and certainly should not be seen as the "final word" on who the people of the play are. Please email me with questions or comments!
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TIP: Bring a friend with you to auditions to help backstage. We can always use the help.