All My Sons and Taylor Wessing 2025

Bryan Cranston, Paapa Essiedu, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Hayley Squires are the core of the cast assembled for this revival of Arthur Miller's family drama about the sins of the fathers coming back to haunt their children.  It's overlaid with a critique about money grabbing bosses taking opportunities in a time of national crisis to make a quick buck regardless of the harm it may do. So, it may be over 75 years old now, but with so many modern resonances; certainly I was thinking about the Michelle Mone and other Covid scandals.   I liked that this production doesn’t try to force the point though, which is clear enough, without needing to set it in a modern context.  

The production really struck gold with this cast.  Essiedu and Cranston are a powerhouse duo, and the whole ensemble are just magnificent.  Bryan Cranston plays Joe Keller, the bluff, jovial, proud master of industry wanting to leave a legacy for his remaining son.  Marianne Jean-Baptiste is desperate and eloquent as Kate, his wife, still refusing to believe that her oldest son, who went missing over three years ago during the war, is dead.  Paapa Essideu is magnetic in every scene as Chris, the surviving son, a good man, dreaming of a better life.  Having set his cap at Anne (Hayley Squires) who was his missing/dead brother’s sweetheart, Chris triggers the collapse of the wall of lies that has built up since the war.  The performances are stunning, and so although this got a lot of grumbles from me about the star casting affecting the prices, in this case people are definitely getting their money's worth.

This production, which runs straight through, has a feeling of Greek tragedy in the way it hurtles along, another play without an interval, and no-one has clean hands in the end.  There’s a spare but effective set with a fallen tree across the stage, a metaphor for the collapse of the family and the lies, and a house facade behind, an upstairs window sometimes just being a window, but other times standing in for the sun or moon.   I had a standing ticket up in the gods which meant I could only see the bottom half of the window/sun/moon, but I was still blown back on my heels by the power of the performances. I can see why people are prepared to spend hundreds on this.   At just under two and a half hours, this was a long time standing, but it was absolutely worth it as an affordable way to see an outstanding production. 

Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2025 

Earlier in the day we dropped into this exhibition in the National Portrait Gallery.  I always enjoy seeing what has made the cut for final voting, and this year was no exception.  In addition to the formal judging, there is also a public vote, but I am still torn over what to vote for.  Children are always charming so I was tempted by some of those, but there are so many others that bring the wide range of human experiences to life.  I recommend having a look at the public page to see more of them https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2025/taylor-wessing-photo-portrait-prize/peoples-pick

I enjoyed the images where it takes some effort to decipher what I am seeing, so this one of Mongolian contortionists by Tom Parker worked for me

And I really took to this woman Imtiaz, who seems to be ready to take no nonsense from anyone, photographed by her daughter Mahtab Hussain

There were a few tender portraits I really liked too.  This one by Luan Davide was given second prize by the judges

And then this one by Giles Duley, Ivana and Fatima, a mother and child recovering from horrific war injuries is beautifully tender as well.

The exhibition almost always catches the cultural and political tides, and so this one, by Pip Jay King was striking too, focusing on the freedom of having a body that matches how you feel.  

Finally, a couple made me laugh, possibly not intended by the artists, so I will end with this one, by Camilla Greenwell of Gertraud Platschek, that I dubbed helicopter lady 

And this really is the last thing from my day in town; the tree in Trafalgar Square is much nicer this year than last ....