The stage production of "All My Sons" at the Arden Theater did an excellent job of conveying the writer, Arthur Miller's interpretation of what the story should be about. Unlike most contemporary forms of entertainment, such as the television shows "Big Brother" and "Survivor", Miller does not strive to show how real something is. In fact he prides himself on showing reality. While it may have the same root as real or realism, it in fact has a totally different meaning. Reality is the truth behind the facade. Everything may seem perfect on the outside, yet the truth of it is everything could, in reality, be a mess behind the false front. The Arden production did a fabulous job of making everything seem perfect then slowly let everything fall apart revealing that nothing was as perfect as it seemed. .
The Arden's production did an excellent job of depicting a real setting. The setting definitely fit the text version of the play. The house was surrounded by "tall closely planted poplars" (act one p.5). The Arden production, though only using a few trees, made the house seem almost surrounded by forest. The stage design emulated the text almost to the letter except for a few tasteful changes which included the addition of the first scene with Kate outside with the storm. Even the storm was highly realistic. The roar of the thunder that sounded like a plane and the gusts of the wind gave the overall experience a realistic feel. The entire backyard looked like something that could be found in any contemporary American's backyard. The scene was lifelike right down to the chairs being positioned for conversation. The use of adding power lines to the set was also notable. The lines did absolutely nothing for the setting yet they still helped add to the look of a peaceful backyard. It is possible that they were hoping to subconsciously remind us of our own backyards. In which case all the extra features were successful in making the yard look realistic.