By Shari Barrett
Kentwood Players welcomes 2023 by presenting Arthur Miller’s Tony Award-winning play ALL MY SONS opening Friday, January 20 through Saturday, Feb. 11 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Westchester Playhouse, 9301 Hindry Ave., Los Angeles 90045. Their six-play season continues with Ken Ludwig’s BASKERVILLE, a Sherlock Holmes mystery opening March 17; the musical RENT opening May 12; the backstage comedy MOON OVER BUFFALO opening July 21; the detective thriller AN INSPECTOR CALLS opening Sept. 15; and the musical A GENTLEMEN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER opening Nov. 10.
ALL MY SONS is directed by Ben Lupejkis and produced by Alison Boole and Colleen Okida for Kentwood Players with rights secured from Dramatists Play Service, Inc. The cast features (in alphabetical order) Allison Lynn Adams, Christopher Aruffo, Philip Bartolf, Nadine Booth, Patricia Butler, Amelia Fischer, Roy T. Okida, Calvin Picou, Lisa J. Salas, and Shawn K. Summerer.
The age-old capitalistic struggle of “profit over people” that prompted the infamous House Un-American Activities Committee to question playwright Arthur Miller’s patriotic loyalties is on full display in ALL MY SONS. In his Tony Award-winning play, Miller creates a post-war American family in a tragic downfall of material greed, lies, love, and loss. It demands we examine our own ethical responsibilities to ourselves, our neighbors, and all at-risk sons (and daughters) of American conflict.
Arthur Miller’s masterpiece centers around Joe Keller, a successful manufacturer of WWII essential military supplies, who lives comfortably with his wife, Kate, and son, Chris, in a suburban American neighborhood. They have only one sadness in their lives – the loss of their son, Larry, an American fighter pilot, who went missing in World War II. After three years, Kate still clings to the hope that her son is alive. But Chris would like her to give up that hope because he wants to marry Ann, a long-time neighbor and Larry’s former fiancée. And so it begins… to not only unravel the family but the entire neighborhood when secrets are revealed.
ALL MY SONS reserved seat tickets are $22 with a $2 discount for seniors and students, available online at www.kentwoodplayers.org, by emailing the box office at boxoffice@kentwoodplayers.org or calling (310) 645-5156. All box office emails and messages will be answered in the order received to confirm your ticket order. Season tickets are just $95 for all six 2023 productions, and group rates for 10 or more for any production are available by contacting the box office, with remaining tickets sold on site beginning a half hour prior to each performance. There will be one pay-what-you-can performance for on Saturday, January 21 at 2pm with open seating. Reservations recommended but not required. Please note: face masks must be worn inside the building unless performing onstage.
Metro Train riders can take the K Line to Kentwood, exiting at the Westchester/Veterans station at Florence and Hindry, just a short one block walk from the Westchester Playhouse! Metro riders who show their Metro TAP card when purchasing a full price ticket at the box office will receive a $5 discount.
For drivers, there are two free parking lots available. The small lot next to the Westchester Playhouse is reserved for disabled patrons only. The Hensel Phelps parking lot at 8330 Hindry Avenue (across the street, next to the Metro train tracks) is free for patrons and opens an hour before each performance, is locked when a performance begins, and reopens at the end of the show. Look for our parking lot greeter to welcome you. Free street parking is available on 83rd Street and in the adjoining neighborhood. Please read all traffic and parking signs carefully in the area.
For more information about Kentwood Players including upcoming open auditions for BASKERVILLE on Jan. 7 and 8, please visit www.kentwoodplayers.org. You can also find Kentwood Players information on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. To meet group members and discover how you can get involved as a volunteer in all aspects of presenting live theatre, the public is invited to attend free in-person membership meetings at the Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Ave., Los Angeles 90045. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 7:30pm. Face masks must be worn inside the building.
Kentwood Players is a non-profit theatre group dedicated to enriching, educating, and entertaining our community through the transformative power of live theatre while creating an environment for inspiring human potential. As a 501C3 organization, donations to Kentwood Players in any amount are always greatly appreciated to bridge the gap between ticket sales and operating expenses, and tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
