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Review: The Man Who Had All The Luck

April 9, 2008


Venue: The Lowry
Date Reviewed: 9th April, 2008

star

Arthur Miller is my favourite playwright, but I have seen so many versions of The Crucible, that I welcomed the chance to see a little known play of his. The Man Who Had All The Luck lasted only a few days on Broadway in 1944. But for anyone expecting a below par Miller play, like Broken Glass, you are in for a great evening out, as this Donmar production is one of the classiest productions to reach the Lowry stage in some time.

The central character David Beeves (Andrew Buchan) seems to have it all; he is an untrained mechanic, who longs to be successful and have a family. One by one all of his aspirations emerge, but he is far from happy as he believes the gift of such a fulfilled life must come at a cost.

Essentially Miller’s play is one of shattered dreams, as David’s life is contrasted with that of his brother Amos, a would-be baseball player. This simplistic young boy has one goal in life and when his future is in doubt, he has nothing else. Whereas David is untrained, yet successful, in every aspect of his multi-faceted life.

The joy of watching this very filmic narrative are the familiar Miller trademarks, as the play does have similar themes and sub-plots to Death Of A Salesman and All My Sons. During the second and third acts, the plot does meander slightly, but the wonderful performers steer this old classic car home, safely.

Sean Holmes‘ direction is assured and pacy, allowing the actors to relish the rich dialogue, whilst portraying the characters’ failings with ease. Buchan is an actor to watch. Currently in ITV’s The Fixer, he is chameleon-like; naive in the first half, then power crazy, followed by humble, again. Michelle Terry is far from the hysterical wife; she grounds the play when it goes off on a tangent, with a powerful performance.

Shaun Dingwall plays the mysterious Austrian mechanic, bringing humour and a sense of longing to the play. Both Nigel Cooke and Felix Scott are utterly believable as David’s tired old dad and passive brother, Amos, respectively.

Like all great Arthur Miller plays, this one is a melting pot, not of family secrets as such, but of desires. Each character wants something else from life and David becomes addicted to wishing for more, as each time he does, it is granted, but at what cost? The audience on the night I went were gripped by this question/concept and the many plot twists and it’s not difficult to see why.

This may be more whimsical that the classic Miller plays. But, it in the hands of the Donmar it is a riveting classic with meaured, pitch-perfect performances, rich dialogue and a gorgeous set.

Get lucky and go!

-Glenn Meads

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