A View From The Bridge

Review of A View From The Bridge at Bolton Octagon.

All the key ingredients of Eddie Carbonne’s downfall are already on full display as Holly Race Roughan’s production of Arthur Miller’s classic play begins to take shape – it’s a tragedy foretold.

The two young Italian men, whose arrival will rip a household apart, sit silently above the main stage; an illuminated phone box beckons like a beacon in the darkness – and Eddie’s niece Catherine sways back and forth on a swing, as if she hasn’t a care in the world. And then of course, there’s the man himself.

Eddie lives on the Brooklyn waterfront, working in the docks – part of a close-knit community where many still cling to the codes of honour from their Sicilian homeland. His orphaned niece Catherine, who lives with him and his wife Beatrice, is finding her feet as a young woman – although Eddie is struggling to accept her increasing independence.

It’s soon clear that, one way or another, things aren’t going to end well – and we, like the neighbourhood lawyer Alfieri, must just watch events run their “bloody course”.

The arrival of Beatrice’s two cousins, illegal migrants from Italy, further unsettles the household. When a relationship develops between Catherine and the youngest cousin Rodolpho, it triggers some complicated feelings in Eddie – and things start to implode.

Moi Tran’s brutal beauty of a set clears away the clutter of life – leaving the characters exposed. Some scattered wooden chairs and a couple of record players are the only home comforts. Dark mirrored surfaces dominate, and shimmer ominously – the walls reflect everything back in on itself, while the floor might as well be thin ice.

A large neon sign spells out the name of the neighbourhood – RED HOOK. The double O of HOOK, is reminiscent of a pair of electric rings on a cooker hob, and all the letters glow red – simmering or at full boil, depending on the dramatic temperature on stage.

At times the production pushes at its physical limits, as if struggling to contain itself – elements of the set are within touching distance of the front row, Nancy Crane’s Alfieri occasionally drifts into the audience, and at one point Eddie looks out and appeals directly to us.

This is Brooklyn on the shores of otherworldliness – where darkness, dramatic shadows, and billowing clouds of dry ice roll in. Max Perryment’s quietly busy sound design – roaring waves, distant booms, and the crackle of a stuck record – subtly unnerves. Visions of a male dancer periodically haunt Eddie, their muscular balletic grace disrupting his traditional view of masculinity.

For all the delights of the richly layered staging, it’s the powerful performances that pull you in.

Seemingly incapable of hitting the brakes, Jonathan Slinger’s Eddie is a compact, churning mass of emotions hurtling towards an inevitable collision. Delivering an incredibly controlled performance, Slinger takes Eddie gradually closer and closer to the edge of reason.

Rachelle Diedricks’ Catherine is a slowly fading ray of sunshine, as the simple joys of her childhood home slip through her fingers.

Even Kirsty Bushell’s worldly-wise Beatrice struggles to stop the damage her husband is doing. Beneath her pragmatic and resourceful exterior, increasing desperation gives way to a heart-breaking grief that slices the air.

Almost operatic in its intensity – Race Roughan’s production is ferociously focused, and shattering to witness.

Bolton Octagon.

Headlong.

Performance seen on 14th September 2023.

A View From The Bridge runs at Bolton Octagon from 8th to 30th September 2023. Then touring.

Images by The Other Richard.