King’s Head Theatre, London – 4th – 27th September. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
To mark the centenary of Arthur Miller’s birth, End of Moving Walkway present The Man Who Had All The Luck. This was the first of Miller’s plays, premiering in 1944, closing after only 4 performances, and rarely staged since.
Everything David Beeves wants seems to fall into his hands. His friends are loyal and generous, and he has a successful business and seemingly perfect home life. Watching his friends and family suffer setbacks and disasters while he continues to overcome every obstacle, David begins to wonder about his fate. Is his success down to good luck? If so, will he have to pay for this eventually?
Some of the themes Miller explored throughout his career – self determination, redemption and the American dream – can be seen in their nascent form. At times the characters’ motives and actions – especially JB’s – seem unresolved and the narrative flow is not as polished as his later works, but the beauty and humour of Miller’s dialogue is well established in this play.
The traverse stage is ideal for this performance, providing a sense of intimacy that makes the audience eavesdroppers in the room. This is especially effective and almost uncomfortable during the more passionate confrontations.
The excellent cast give very natural and emotional performances. Jamie Chandler’s David is heroic, frustrating and vulnerable. As Pat, Keith Hill is suitably fussy and ridiculous until the pivotal scene where he portrays a father’s heart breaking realisation of his mistakes with a deft and subtle touch. Playing multiple roles, Peter Dineen’s standout moment is as Andrew Falk – a formidable and frightening presence in stark contrast to his other characters. The voice of clarity and reason, extolling the American dream and trying to convince David that it’s his hard work that has led to his success, is Gus the Austrian emigree, played by Alex Warner with wide eyed optimism and decency, and wonderful light comic touches.
End Of Moving Walkway has produced a fitting tribute to Arthur Miller. A lovely touch is that instead of a programme full of photos and adverts, a Bloomsbury book of the playscript with production details is available, allowing you to revisit the poetic lines at your leisure.
The Man Who Had All The Luck is a first-class production and should be on everyone’s MUST SEE list this month.