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A View from the Bridge
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Chris Riter
Produced by The Grey Zelda Group
At Stage Left Theatre
3408 N. Sheffield
Chicago, IL
Call 773-427-1935, tickets $20
Thursdays thru Sundays at 8 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 10 minutes with intermission
Through February 2, 2008
Live stage and film converge in Miller’s tragedy
The Grey Zelda Group has used visual photography of Brooklyn together with film (filmmaker Ed French) to present the narrator (Greek chorus) as underscore to their live stage presentation of Arthur Miller’s 1955 common man tragedy, A View from the Bridge. This multi media device had mixed effects on the production. The photo montage before the show began nicely presented a look into the working class wharf area of Brooklyn where the Italians lived. We see Miller’s world as we meet Alfieri (Dave Lykins), the narrator and neighborhood lawyer in his territory.
Eddie Carbone (Aris Tompulis, in a eerily powerful performance), a longshoreman, is overly protective and desirous of his 17 year old live-in nice Catherine (Kelly Breheny). Eddie runs this Sicilian family in the old school manner—as a dictator. His wife Beatrice (Nicolle Van Dyke) tries to council Catherine to follow her heart as she persuades Eddie to let her grow up by taking an office job. When two of Beatrice’s relatives land in Brooklyn as “submarines” –illegal aliens, Eddie’s world comes apart. The code of the Sicilian neighborhood requires silence and aid to family members.
From their arrival at Eddie’s home, Marcol (Dave Goss) and Rodolpho (Tom Gordon) are greeted with suspicion by Eddie. Rodolpho, a blond, fun-loving singer seen by Eddie as “not right in the head.” That view turns nasty as Eddie realizes that Rodolpho and Catherine have eyes for each other. Eddie’s submerged rage builds leading to disaster as Miller’s modern everyman tragedy unfolds.
If director Chris Riter had limited his use of film only to Alfieri’s narration it would have served the production effectively. Unfortunately, several key scenes were covered in film when they would have had a more powerful effect live. I did like the use of film together with live actors in late scenes. Too bad that Eddie and Alfieri’s interactions weren’t done combining film (for Alfieri) and live for Eddie. That would have been effective.
The acting was excellent with Aris Tompulis’ Eddie, Kelly Breheny’s Catherine and Tom Gordon’s Rodolpho particularly wonderful. The fine Brooklyn accents and truthful emotional rage and genuine angst from Miller’s characters came across effectively in The Grey Zelda Groups production. We see Eddie’s pent-up sexual desire and his homophobia explode into tragedy. His journey unfolds as high drama. This is a worthy production.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2008
Jeff Recommended
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