View from the Bridge (Birmingham)
Nearly half a century after it was written, Arthur Miller‘s tale of love, obsession and betrayal has lost none of its emotive power as it heads down the classic road of tragedy.
This new co-production between Birmingham Repertory Theatre and West Yorkshire Playhouse, under the direction of Toby Frow, is pacy at two hours plus interval, yet somehow, despite solid performances throughout and a fantastic set from designer Simon Higlett, it never quite reaches the depths it could.
Set in 1950s Brooklyn, it centres on longshoreman Eddie Carbone (Corey Johnson) and Catherine, the niece he and wife Beatrice (Abigail McKern) have raised. The relationship between Eddie and Catherine (Shauna Macdonald) is close, yet when two illegal immigrant cousins come to work in America and stay in the Carbone home, Eddie finds himself increasingly unable to cope with the developing intimacy between niece Catherine and cousin Rodolpho (Jonjo O’Neill).
The whole story takes place under the watchful eye of narrator and lawyer Alfieri, played by a superb Richard Durden, who predicts the oncoming doom but, like the audience, admits he is powerless to stop the impending, inevitable tragedy.
As a piece of writing there’s no doubt that Miller has created a dramatic masterpiece, not unlike Greek tragedy in its sense of claustrophobia, with Alfieri as the storytelling chorus and Eddie the unwitting tragic hero. Indeed it’s a play which has caused many a tear to roll down this reviewer’s face.
But not this time. There was too little indication of Eddie’s inner torment, not enough emotion from his wife – silently aware of the horror of her husband’s feelings until she becomes the only one to voice them aloud, telling Eddie “you can’t have her”.
There is a crucial event in act two where the audience gasps in horror at Eddie’s actions, but that moment lacks dramatic build-up. The pace too is inconsistent – act one has a tendency to plod, with little tension building within the Carbone household and within Eddie himself, while act two rips along and glosses over what should be an incredible mounting tension throughout.
It’s a wonderful play and a solid production but it could have been so much, much more.
Elizabeth Ferrie
