On & Off Broadway

Arthur Miller’s ‘A View From The Bridge’

Reviewed by Elyse Trevers

Posted

I see a lot of theater but rarely have I felt the awe I experienced after seeing Arthur Miller’s “A View From The Bridge.” The revival, led by director extraordinaire Ivo Van Hove, tells the moving story of Eddie, a longshoreman, who along with his wife, Beatrice, has raised his niece, Catherine. Along the waterfront, there are powerful unwritten laws of family, honor and reputation, so when Beatrice’s cousins come from Italy illegally to work to send money home, it is understood that no one will tell the authorities. When one of the cousins, the artsy outgoing Rodolpho and Catherine fall in love, Eddie can’t cope with their relationship. Eddie’s love for Catherine transcends propriety and he loses all sense of control and does the unforgivable by calling the authorities.

The vision of the play is breathtakingly simple yet profound. The clothes are dull and dark and the characters never wear shoes. When Alfieri, the lawyer-cum-narrator speaks directly to the audience, he wears his shoes; when he interacts with the characters and actually enters the story, he removes them.

The set resembles a boxing ring and is flanked on both sides by audience members. There are no props or furniture. Everything about A View From The Bridge is deceptively simple and spare. There is constant sound throughout the play creating a backdrop. At first it’s a bit nagging and almost annoying but then becomes a throbbing dull undercurrent. Even when there are painful pauses in the characters’ conversations, the sound remains constant. The play has no intermission, instead building tension and creating a feeling of impending doom.

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