Felicity’s Score: 4 pizza slices
After two years, A View from the Bridge directed by Iain Sinclair returns to Sydney. It’s original home in the Old Fitz has been replaced with the larger stage at Ensemble Theatre in Kirribilli running until 24th August. Without adding more than a single chair to the stage, Miller’s writing is allowed to shine amongst some truly stellar performances.
The Arthur Miller play follows the Carbone family; Eddie, Beatrice, and their niece Catherine, in Brooklyn. Alfieri, a local lawyer, narrates the story of how the Carbone family harbour Beatrice’s two cousins, Rodolpho and Marco, who enter the US illegally. Catherine and Eddie have always been close, but as Catherine grows older and falls for Rodolpho, Eddie’s paternal love reveals itself as something much more intense and inappropriate.
There is a reason that this production has reappeared so soon, I was very excited to see this classic on stage for the first time. A bare stage, save a single chair, is how the show begins, and it’s all it needs.
David Lynch opens the show with a tenacity for story telling as the cast sit amongst the crowd on the steps. This immersion allows for excitement to rumble amongst the crowd… we don’t know where or who to look at. There’s almost nothing to fault in this production for me; Janine Watson and Anthony Gooley are standouts for me, along with Lynch, all with nuanced and impactful performances that do the playwright’s craftsmanship justice. The accent work is great, I don’t notice any of the usual dips and slips Aussie actors tend to make when doing an American play.
The only issue I had was with some directing choices… Zoe Terakes’ Catherine is earnest, excitable and nervous, but I’m not sure why (even after the huge falling out *SPOILER* with Eddie) she retains the same timid and appeasing demeanour throughout when faced with Eddie. Similarly…the fact that Beatrice was happy to scream in Eddie’s face but not to leave for the wedding didn’t track so well. Miller’s writing holds strength enough…I would’ve liked to see some more trust in the words having enough impact on their own at some points.
Clemence Williams’ sound design creates a cinematic drama to pivotal moments in the show, and Matt Cox’s lighting aids terrifying and impactful moments in which what we feel is more important than what we see.
Sinclair’s rendition of Miller’s classic is refined and provoking… don’t miss out on this stellar production.
Felicity Anderson – Theatre Now Sydney
A View From The Bridge
Arthur Miller
18 Jul – 24 Aug 2019
Venue: Ensemble Theatre
Theatre Company: Red Line Productions and Ensemble Theatre
Duration: Approx. 2 hrs (no interval)
Italian-American immigrant life colours this searing drama of love and revenge set in 1950’s Brooklyn. Eddie Carbone is devoted to his wife Beatrice and his niece Catherine. Beatrice’s cousins Marco and Rodolpho, having fled the poverty of Sicily, enter the US illegally, desperate to find work. As Rodolpho and Catherine fall in love, Eddie’s devotion to his niece is no longer touching, but terrifying.
After a smash hit, sold out season at the Old Fitz Theatre, we are thrilled to reunite this award-winning team on the Ensemble Theatre stage.
Winner of Best Independent Production, Best Male Actor, Best Supporting Female Actor & Best Newcomer, 2017 Sydney Theatre Awards.
★★★★★ Daily Telegraph | ★★★★½ The Sydney Morning Herald | ★★★★ Time Out | ★★★★ ArtsHub
Originally produced by Red Line Productions at the Old Fitz Theatre in 2017.
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