Never has a play turned so sharply by a bizarre piece of choreography.
When the world you know and your sense of order is challenged, how far would you go to avoid change? A View From the Bridge, produced by New Theatre, asks that question. Co-directed by Louise Fischer and Luke Visentin, what begins as a faithful production of Miller’s work becomes a strange reimagining of it, where creative adjustments to the script, on stage action and characters do not pay off.
In New Theatre’s production, the core elements of the story remain unchanged. Eddie Carbone (Alex Bryant-Smith) still lives in New York with his wife Beatrice (Megan Elizabeth Kennedy) and niece Catherine (Georgia Da Silva). Beatrice’s cousins Marco (Jonathon Nicola) and Rodolpho (Finn Couzner) again arrive illegally from Italy, seeking a better life. Catherine falls for Rodolpho to Eddie’s anger, and Eddie’s ultimate betrayal leaves his family broken.
The cast do well to bring their characters alive. Bryant-Smith, Kennedy and Da Silva, each with over-the-top Brooklyn accents, capture the essence of their characters. Bryant-Smith displays Eddie’s inner turmoil and incestuous love for Catherine with alarming intensity, and the palpable desperation he brings to the patriarch during his downfall is satisfying to watch. Da Silva’s takes audiences through Catherine’s arc, but could be punchier and more dynamic as her character goes from naive niece to confident, empowered bride-to-be.
Couzner and Nicola play their roles as caricatures. Couzner is goofy but lovable as Rodolpho. Despite employing a ridiculous Italian accent and a look that is more Palm Beach than Palermo, he performs with a sincerity and humility that makes the character charming and suitably contrasts Bryant-Smith’s imposing, aggressive Eddie. Nicola’s Marco is more comical than other portrayals of the role have been, but fortunately this works in his favour. He is one of the more memorable Marco’s I have seen, albeit for that reason.
Set design (Tom Bannerman) is minimal, consisting mainly of wooden scaffolding and the occasional period-accurate prop. It does well to strip the production of excess and let the audience focus on the characters. Unfortunately, the direction does not follow suit. Before the interval, the show sticks to Miller’s script. Eddie, Catherine, Rodolpho and the world they inhabit are allowed to develop as intended. The tension between Eddie and Rodolpho builds organically, and the production is impressive as a result.
Yet, when the directors introduce new features, that tension dissipates. Shortly after the interval, an extended movement sequence is inserted. It’s odd, not entirely clear, and doesn’t contribute anything to the production. After it, the show loses its quality. Couzner plays Rodolpho with much greater reservation. Bryant-Smith loses his aggression. His relationship with the Italians is changed by Visentin and Fischer, which makes the story play out differently to Miller’s script. The show’s emotional stakes are lost, which causes it to lose dramatic effect; the actors trounce around the stage, with the impact behind their actions lost.
Additionally, the team are keen to get through the play’s events and so tell Miller’s story as fast as possible. A minimally choreographed fight between Bryant-Smith and Couzner, and fast monologue from Alfieri (Elena Pavli), all but solidifies this. One gets the sense they wanted the show to end.
Ultimately, A View From the Bridge is a production in two parts. The first part is classic Miller; well written, well set up, and well executed. The second is partial Miller. And regrettably, the amendments made detract from the experience the writer intended.
