Family drama's up Ian's Street

Leicester Haymarket had plenty of success with the works of Arthur Miller, from classics The Crucible and A View from the Bridge to lesser known works such as The Last Yankee. Now, Curve continues the interest in the late American playwright's works, with a new production of family tragedy All My Sons.

Set just after the second world war, the piece explores love and loyalty, family and friendship and Miller's favourite topic, the American Dream.

Leading the cast as Joe Keller is actor Ian Redford, best known to TV audiences as Keith Appleyard in Coronation Street.

"I've actually been in the Street twice," he laughs, "first time I was a reporter for the Weatherfield Gazette, and the off-screen fun was great. I remember sitting in a pub until 3am in Manchester with Liz Dawn and having a brilliant time.

"The second time around they were making two-and-a-half hours of scheduled TV a week and it was hard work.

"They get the script Friday, learn it over the weekend, shoot it by running a scene once then doing it for camera, then move on.

"If you make a mistake it's tough, but it does give you enormous respect for the young actors who have the long, dramatic storylines over a whole episode, it's really an achievement."

Long dramatic scenes are certainly the stuff of All My Sons, and Ian admits "there's been a lot to learn".

"It's a serious play, although it has a lot of humour in it from domesticity. Obama recently made a speech about the American people's responsibility to each other, and the importance of having a system which helps poorer people, and Miller was saying this when he was just 29, back in the late 1940s, when people were coming back from war and trying to build a new society.

"Miller has a wit but you can feel his anger through these lines.

"It's a marriage of Greek drama and Ibsen, it has a modern naturalism and a really heightened Greek tragedy about it, but so do Miller's other great tragic heroes like Willy Loman and Eddie Carbone.

"That's why I've always loved Miller's work, he's an intelligent and articulate writer with extraordinary attention to detail."

Ian's been in the business long enough to know – his first stage appearance was at primary school.

"I remember playing the King and I fancied a girl called Linda, who was playing the princess, and I thought it was great to be on stage with my girl!

"Then it was all about the timing – I had a teacher who set up a drama group and used to take us to the Royal Court, then I joined the National Youth theatre at 14, then drama school at 18.

"I've been lucky enough to keep working – as an actor you do expect to have periods of unemployment unless you're one of a handful of very-successful actors… I remember hearing on actor say once that he used to be worried about his status – then realised that he would always be better than some and not as good as others.

"It's a good approach!"

Info

All My Sons is at Curve from October 8 to November 14. Details on 0116 242 3595 or

www.curveonline.co.uk