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Barry Kirk reviews Arthur Miller�s The View From the Bridge at The Queen�s Theatre.
Connoisseurs of Arthur Miller�s work are in for a treat as the latest Queen�s theatre production spares little in putting on a suitable rendition of the great American author�s work.
View From The Bridge, is the latest offering for the serious theatre-goer from the Billet Lane theatre, and is elegantly directed by Matt Devitt. The play, written and first performed in 1955, tells the gritty story that has much relevance today as when it was written.
Love, death, poverty, prejudice, jealousy, the building blocks of any lifestyle story, but with Miller�s ability to draw straight lines with his dialogue, the storyline strikes home with blinding accuracy.
This is the hallmark of many of his works, in particular the Pulitzer Prize-winning Death of a Salesman, and is as strong in View from the Bridge, with Matt Devitt�s direction maintaining the precision that Miller would have approved of.
Set in Brooklyn in the 50s, the poverty and often desperate day-to-day struggle is encapsulated by Rodney Ford�s set, depicting a utility apartment in a grim and heavily industrialised seaport backscape. The clever use of muslin covering, never allows the action to hide within the walls as the vista of cranes and tenement fire escapes litter the backdrop.
Eddie and his wife, Beatrice, live in the shadow of the port with their young niece Catherine. But the happy family is torn apart when they take in two of Beatrice�s Italian relations Marco and Rodolpho, who enter the United States illegally to find work.
Set against the background of �no trouble if you don�t see anything�, the illegal trade in human beings is a tightrope of immigration officials and deportation.
The strength of this production is the first appearance at the Queen�s of Philip Whitchurch as Eddie. Philip�s pivotal role was a superb exhibition of an actors art, as he made the role his own.
His strength drew equally strong performances from Cut to the Chase regular, Maria Lawson whose role of the young lovelorn niece Catherine, was one of her best � full of pride that smouldered under the surface of a teenager reaching womanhood and finding a love that ran opposite to her guardians wishes.
Equally good performances from Philip Reed as Rodolpho the target of Catherine�s affections and eventual husband and James Waverley as his brother, Marco, who suffers the anguish of deportation as Eddie�s bitter resentment and love of Catherine leads him to breach the unwritten code of informing.
The welcome return of Diana Croft as Beatrice added the icing on the cake to the overall performance as she injected her skills by making a loving wife question her life with the man of her choice.
This is a powerful piece of theatre that takes a scenario and nails it to the wall for all to see. You are left in no doubt about the message. It�s as old as the hills, well all know it, but there�s a way of seeing it, and this is certainly one quality trip you don�t get very often.
Good performances from James Earl Adair as the narrator and lawyer Alfieri, and cameos from Richard Emerson, Eamonn O�Dwyer, Steve Probert, Linda Howard, James Moss, Neil Casey, Lee Collins, Ian Grigson and Pam Shrimpton.
The only thing that spoiled it was some of the audience nosily unwrapping sweets.
The play runs until Saturday, October 23, with tickets from �8.50 to �16 available from the box office on 01708 443333.
Romford Recorder � Friday October 8th 2004
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