Revu A View From The Bridge
“A View From The Bridge”
Having spent much of the summer attempting to read/watch all of Arthur Miller's scripts (I've only managed 14, but then he wrote as many as Shakespeare), there was no way I could miss Labyrinth Productions' rendition of A View From The Bridge, particularly since its cast boasts some of my favourite actors. So, for the first time as an audience member, I am sat in anticipation in the stalls of the Oxford Playhouse. Two and a half hours later, despite some moments of confusion and dissatisfaction along the way, I have witnessed a spirited retelling of Miller's tragedy. Rosie Morgan-Males' production succeeds in bringing an iconic script to life with energy and passion.
Miller's domestic tragedy traces the demise of Eddie Carbone (Nate Wintraub in an exceptional performance), who wrestles with his attraction to Catherine (Catherine Claire), the niece of his wife, Bea (Rose Hemon Martin). The arrival of Bea's cousins (undocumented immigrants seeking work) complicates things, and tensions rise when Catherine begins a relationship with the younger, Rodolpho (Robert Wolfreys). The text traverses topical debates about immigration, the law, and what happens when one's personal passions put them in conflict with their community.
Morgan-Males sets the entire play to a fully original orchestral score composed by Louis Benneyworth, Tabby Hopper and Peter Hardisty. Performed skilfully by an impressive orchestra of 26, the music consistently sounds incredible. Its impact on the effectiveness of the production overall, though, does vary. At some points (e.g. the confrontation in the play's final moments), the music massively emphasizes a scene's tension, and gives me chills. At others, the score's tone seems somewhat misaligned with the action onstage, and (particularly in the first sequence in the Carbone household) it feels as though the actors are somewhat thrown off by it. This relates to a broader problem which unfortunately persists throughout (although it will almost certainly be rectified before the second night): the actors' voices are often too quiet relative to the music. Combined with some diction issues and a couple of seriously questionable New York accents, this renders more than a few lines unclear.
“A View From The Bridge”
In terms of design, Euan Elliot's set effectively highlights the central playing space by outlining it with thin LED light bars along the checkered stage floor, clearly taking inspiration from Ivo van Hove's 2014 production and its "lightbox" set by Jan Versweyveld. This works well, although its impact would be furthered if it were used in closer cohesion with Sarah Webb and Isabelle Carey-Young's lighting, which seems a little confused. Sometimes scene changes are fully illuminated when it feels as though they want to be hidden, at other times the soliloquizing lawyer Alfieri (Alice Wyles) is poorly-lit as he narrates the story.
There are a couple of other odd choices: two Immigration Officers (Esme Somerside-Gregory and Nicole Palka) march onstage in pseudo-Frantic-Assembly style, but are never quite in sync; a team of stage managers in headsets rush onstage to reshuffle the set, despite the fact that there are no less than ten actors waiting in the wings who have either completely non-speaking walk-on parts or very brief speaking roles.
All of this only momentarily distracts from what is essentially driving this production: lively, compelling performances from its principal cast. The actors deftly capitalise on moments of rising tension in the Carbone household, and this is often punctuated either by brief moments of silence (incredibly impactful in a production that uses it very sparingly), or the swelling of the music. The standard of acting is generally excellent across the board, and some strong supporting performances come from Rohan Joshi and Ezana Betru - the brief sequence in which we are introduced to their wise-cracking longshoremen is one of the production's most entertaining. Expectedly, Claire is compelling throughout, especially as she subtly illuminates the complexities of Catherine's relationship with Eddie ("I know him and now I’m supposed to turn around and make a stranger out of him?"). Another skilled portrayal is given by Wolfreys, who is utterly convincing as the naive but charming Rodolpho. As I first learnt watching White Lies/Black Comedy last year, he has a wonderful capacity both for lighter moments and naturalistic honesty - here, he is both believable and entertaining ("I have no money to get married. I have a nice face, but no money").
The most powerful force driving this production forward, though, is Wintraub's monumental lead performance, which combines the world-wearied aching demanded by Miller's domestic-tragic leads (side note: he would do a great Victor Franz in The Price) with gravitas and physical presence. Wintraub has in the last two years been cast in a string of older, mature roles (Equus, the priest in Angel, Black Comedy etc.), but I think he is actually at his strongest when he can be dynamic, energetic, dangerous (The Pillowman etc.). Thus, the most gripping moments are those, like the expertly-played boxing sequence, in which Eddie's competitive, masculine, bullying urges are let loose. Throughout, his every emotion - affection, then aggression, and finally desperation - is imposed fiercely onto everyone in the auditorium, audience and cast.
More than capable of rising to this challenge is Gilon Fox as Marco, Rodolpho's older, more rugged brother, who gives probably the production's most consistently strong performance. Fox does exactly what the narrative requires of him and nothing more (he generally occupies less attention than Wolfreys as the flashier, chattier brother), but imbues Marco, in totally convincing fashion, with a kind of captivating quiet tension. Eventually, of course, this explodes, resulting in a confrontation that is thrilling, although far too brief (what a coincidence that the most exciting part of two consecutive Oxford University Drama Society shows at the Playhouse has been a knife fight involving Gilon Fox). Overall, Fox delivers enough dignified passion to challenge Wintraub's domineering patriarch, and both are filled with a vitality that makes sparks fly when they clash.
In the programme, and in cast calls, Labyrinth commends that their cast and crew are "professional", and I am told that this word has come up repeatedly throughout the production process. I confess, I am not entirely sure what that means, since this is plainly Student Theatre, and not professional. Actually, I know plenty of trained, professional actors who are not so skilled or disciplined as many Student practitioners, including those I have witnessed onstage tonight. Not to mention, we are in a professional theatre, in which the professional microphones keep crackling and the professional sound system cuts out entirely at one point - the most remarkable part of the evening is in fact the non-professional performers. Although I think the use of the word like this is probably unhelpful, perhaps by "professional", what is really meant is, "very good." If so, there is little doubt that Labyrinth has delivered on their promise. Morgan-Males has delivered a solid reimagining of Miller's classic that utilises impassioned, nuanced performances to drive the narrative ever closer to its inevitable tragic end, "every step coming, step after step, like a dark figure walking down a hall toward a certain door."
4/5
Review by George Loynes
The link to George Loynes’s review blog is: https://roomwithreviewblog.blogspot.com/?m=1&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAadKaD9DWn-5mwBnPczPWh3KXF0Wm5MTE_D9WbXEiWAbpuhhg9yNdnyYWKaYSg_aem_MX4-paKRuQoHXi7vgFXpPw
“A View From The Bridge”
