Synopsis 1953. The New York docks are flooded with corruption, controlled by the mob, backed by big business, the church and city politics. Stirred by the beautiful innocence of Edie Doyle and the prodding of the waterfront priest, ex-boxer and fringe hoodlum, Terry Malloy finds himself contending with his own conscience as he embarks on the hardest fight of his life.
The inimitable Steven Berkoff brought his latest show to the West End last week (12 February, previews from 28 January) – an expressionistic re-imagining of seminal 1954 film On the Waterfront.
In On the Waterfront, New Jersey ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman Terry Malloy (immortalised on screen by Marlon Brando) comes up against his corrupt, Mob-ruled union bosses. After being implicated in a murder, Terry finds support in the form of a streetwise priest and the love of the dead man’s sister.
The new stage play of On the Waterfront is conceived and directed by Berkoff and co-written by the original screenplay’s author Budd Schulberg (who attended the opening night - See 1st Night Photos) with Stan Silverman. Berkoff himself stars as mobster Johnny Friendly, alongside Simon Merrells as Terry "coulda been a contender" Malloy and Bryony Afferson as love-interest Edie Doyle.
Most critics predictably drew comparisons with Arthur Miller's longshoreman drama A View From the Bridge, which by coincidence also opened in the capital recently (See Review Round-up, 9 Feb 2009). And most clearly enjoyed their return trip to the New York docks, with Berkoff's “creative evocation” of the movie matched by the “knockout performances” of his cast. Simon Merrells was roundly applauded for avoiding a Brando imitation in an “aggressive, vulnerable, touchingly inarticulate” turn as Malloy, while Bryony Afferson's "intense" Doyle and Berkoff's “splendidly sinister” Johnny Friendly also won praise.The Waterfront is clearly the place to be in the West End these days...
Michael Coveney on Whatsonstage.com (three stars) - “Nobody carves up a stage like Steven Berkoff: his version of Elia Kazan’s iconic 1954 movie, using the script Budd Schulberg adapted from his own screenplay, is a fluid, non-stop, slow-motion sculpture show, bathed in pools of light and purple silhouette, danced and conjured by a cast of twelve in homburgs and dark suits in tight groups, diagonal lines and prancing processions round a square, tilted acting area. It amounts to a truly creative evocation of the movie without catching its heartbeat … Simon Merrells as Terry and Bryony Afferson as Edie … make a rather drab couple … Berkoff himself, heaving his bulk around in a great sigh of bitterness and displeasure, is a fairly amicable Johnny Friendly, the mob ruler, compared to the volcanic nastiness of Lee J Cobb.”
Charles Spencer in the Daily Telegraph (four stars) - “Berkoff's production boasts a choric ensemble with the most lined, creased and characterful faces on the London stage … I enjoyed On the Waterfront more than A View from the Bridge. This is largely due to the sheer style and panache of Berkoff's production, with its thrilling use of ensemble movement, dramatic lighting, and a brilliant score that ranges from jazz, jive and rock'n'roll to frenzied percussion. There are knockout performances. The biggest compliment I can pay Simon Merrells is that you forget about Brando when you are watching his aggressive, vulnerable, touchingly inarticulate performance as Terry Malloy. Berkoff provides a splendidly sinister star-turn as the shaven-headed, pot-bellied union boss and there's outstanding support right through the ranks. Make no mistake. This show has class and will be a contender for awards.”
Benedict Nightingale in The Times (four stars) - “Terry Malloy, the ex-boxer who has unwittingly cooperated in one of Friendly’s killings, is a sort of Hercules who gradually awakens from his moral slumber to confront evil head on. This was, of course, the role that made Marlon Brando’s name, which means that the actor playing the character is not only tackling a myth but competing with a legend. All credit, then, to Simon Merrells, who catches the initial swagger and laid-back cynicism, yet manages not just to suggest an inarticulate vulnerability but to show it in body movements … But it’s very much Berkoff’s evening. Aside from anything else, his Friendly is a paunchy monster who exudes menace whether he’s lolling, smiling or ferociously spilling out rage at his foes.”
Nicholas de Jongh in the Evening Standard (five stars) - “It takes a rare, rash courage to put one of the great movies of all time on stage … Director Steven Berkoff has managed the feat in an extraordinary piece of expressionistic theatre and stylised ritual that ranks as a thrilling work of art … The key to Berkoff’s triumph is his decision to reject any attempts at realism. Instead he opts for his familiar brand of expressionism … Berkoff as director works to spell-binding effect in this version of On the Waterfront … The excitement of the plot … depends upon the implicating of Terry and his brother in the death of Joey Doyle. Doyle’s sister, Edie, played with terrific intensity by Bryony Afferson, once she falls for Joey, and Vincenzo Nicoli’s mobster-defying priest, incite Malloy to put conscience first when facing up to the chief mobster, Johnny Friendly. Berkoff invests this villain with terrifying unpredictability as he switches from smiling affability to snarling fury in a trice. I was enthralled.”
Michael Billington in the Guardian (four stars) - “First comes A View From The Bridge. Now, by a strange chance, we get this stage version of the famous 1954 Budd Schulberg-Elia Kazan movie … it makes for a gripping piece of theatre. This is largely because it is directed by Steven Berkoff, who eschews cinematic realism to provide a piece of dockside expressionism … Stylised movement creates the visual context, complemented by a backdrop of the Statue of Liberty clutching a docker's hook (or could it be the Communist sickle?) … Individual performers shine out of the ensemble: Simon Merrells' impressive Terry is no Brando imitation but a moody, mixed-up moralist who is still enough of a pugilist to keep punching the air with his right fist … As a bonus, Berkoff himself has taken over the role of the murderous union boss since the show's Nottingham premiere … It is a dazzling performance in a group show that offers not a carbon copy but an imaginative re-invention of what is an iconic movie.”
Nobody carves up a stage like Steven Berkoff: his version of Elia Kazan’s iconic 1954 movie, using the script Budd Schulberg adapted from his own screenplay, is a fluid, non-stop, slow-motion sculpture show, bathed in pools of light and purple silhouette, danced and conjured by a cast of twelve in homburgs and dark suits in tight groups, diagonal lines and prancing processions round a square, tilted acting area.
It amounts to a truly creative evocation of the movie without catching its heartbeat, the love story between the Marlon Brando character, Terry Malloy, the twenty-something former boxer who could have been a contender, and the blonde demure sister, Edie Doyle, of the longshoreman who is pushed off the roof in the opening reel.
Simon Merrells as Terry and Bryony Afferson as Edie (replacing Coral Beed, who played the role in Edinburgh and Nottingham) make a rather drab couple, he in his mid-thirties (Brando’s Terry was “pushing thirty”), she lacking the pure inner glow of Eve Marie Saint. Sometimes comparisons between film and play are gratuitous; here, they are unavoidable, as On the Waterfront is part of everyone’s cultural baggage.
Berkoff himself, heaving his bulk around in a great sigh of bitterness and displeasure, is a fairly amicable Johnny Friendly, the mob ruler, compared to the volcanic nastiness of Lee J Cobb, while Antony Byrne as Terry’s brother Charley shares the camel coat with Rod Steiger but doesn’t register anything like Steiger’s presence or fraternal anxiety in the back of the cab.
That famous sequence is staged in a pool of light, one of several great set-pieces that flow into each other with a seamless efficiency in the projected shadow of the great head of the Statue of Liberty, hand aloft holding a docker’s hook. Joey’s funeral is bathed in a protracted chorus of “Danny Boy” while Mark Glentworth’s smoky soundtrack includes nicely appropriate, jazzed-up versions of Gene Vincent’s “Be Bop a Lula” and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You.”
The pigeons on the roof are amusingly done by the cast pecking and cooing on the backs of their bentwood chairs, the scene eliding with a Brooklyn boogie where the subpoena is served on Terry before his resolve is stiffened by the second killing and Father Barry’s rousing speech about the crucifixion; Vincenzo Nicoli delivers this with a fine old fury, if not the granite conviction of Karl Malden in the movie.
The plot was slow and Berkoff's perfromance was a disappoitment, especially after all the hype I had heard about him. - Hannah
24 Apr 09
Having loved the film I was a bit dubious about this production but can honestly say I was thrilled. I've not seen anything else by Stephen Berkoff and did not know Simon Merrells (Terry Malloy) so didn't know what to expect. I can't recommend this highly enough and loved the pigeons! - cate
11 Apr 09
I forgot to mention the "pigeons" - almost as funny as The Producers, but absurd in the context of a serious drama. - David Baxter
03 Apr 09
I don't think I've seen the original film which makes it easier to treat On the Waterfront purely as a piece of theatre. Steven Berkoff has certainly created an imaginative production with almost no scenery or props but is also responsible for its' two major weaknesses. In an otherwise strong cast his own performance as the mob boss is horribly misjudged, prompting laughter from the audience rather than fear. Berkoff's trademark slow motion expressionist styling soon becomes irritating and is responsible for a terrible ending; a complete damp squib rather than an uplifting moment of hope. In between there are periods of genuine quality enhanced by excellent lighting and live music but this is only a qualified success. - David
02 Apr 09
Why does Michael Coveney review the cast as though they're Elia Kazan's understudies? This is an entirely different experience (otherwise why do it at all?) but he seems to be reviewing the movie and not the stage show.
This, for me, is Berkoff's best ever production - and I've seen a few in my time. Five stars aren't enough - it's the most stunning piece of pure theatre I've seen since The Dragon's Trilogy.
The audience clearly agreed, with an ovation to die for at the end. However, Berkoff's is a very specific world, and I concede that this wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea. But it sure is mine. - Job
27 Mar 09
Absolutely fantastic. The menacing tension and threatening atmosphere created by the slow motion walk from the gangsters was fantastic. great to see berkoff himself but a fantastic cast working with him. Lovely switch to the physicalisation of the pigeons added a hint of humour. I have seen and directed berkiffs work but this is one of the best. lived it. Thanks to all. - Janet Pearson
23 Feb 09
One of the only shows I had to leave during, I can only put up with two dimensional characters and slow motion walking for so long before I get bored, Berkoff was weak and under powered.
- Laughingmonsta
17 Feb 09
I have not seen theatre like this in a long time! And, I go 3 or 4 times a month! Superb! Simon Merrells I had never heard of but now I am a fan!
The whole staging of this was pure theatre - the slow motion - the craggy-faced ensemble cast; the lighting and music! And, the head and shoulders of the Statue of Liberty which reminded me of the end of the original 'The Planet of the Apes' film which the music did sometimes.
It is a must see and definitely an award winner! Bravo Steven Berkoff! - Barry Clarke
Opened 29 Dec 1720. Closed in 1737 (partly for attacking the government), re-opened 1747. The current theatre opened on 4th July 1821 and was designed by Nash. The last theatre in London to use candles (1837). 888 seats. Society of London Theatre member.
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