THEATRE ONLINE
A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller,
Online at National Theatre at Home
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/a-view-from-the-bridge/
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: **** (4)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on a Saturday soon in 2025. KH
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| Mark Strong, Nicola Walker-image supplied |
Ivo van Hove’s 2014 Young Vic production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, now streaming on National Theatre at Home, is a stark, visceral reimagining of a classic. Van Hove strips the play to its emotional core, presenting a raw, almost ritualistic interpretation that echoes Greek tragedy.
Eddie Carbone (Mark Strong), a dock worker, and his wife Beatrice (Nicola Walker) are Sicilian-Americans who have cared for Eddie’s niece, Catherine (Phoebe Fox) since she was an infant. When Beatrice’s two Sicilian cousins, Rodolpho (Luke Norris) and Marco ( Emun Elliott), arrive as illegal immigrants, Eddie welcomes them – until Rodolpho shows romantic interest in Catherine. Eddie’s reaction seems to be the protectiveness of a doting adoptive father, but incrementally becomes unhealthily jealous and eventually vindictive.
Strong delivers a powerful performance as Eddie Carbone, capturing the character's descent from affable uncle to obsessive patriarch with intensity and nuance. Walker portrays Beatrice with a quiet strength, embodying a woman torn between loyalty and self-preservation. Fox's Catherine is both innocent and assertive, navigating her own awakening amidst familial pressures.
Norris brings ebullience, charm and sincerity to Rodolpho, while Elliott's Marco, whose illegal work provides for his starving family in Sicily, exudes a brooding presence that hints at underlying tensions. Michael Gould plays Alfieri, the family lawyer, who also acts as narrator, providing a moral compass and framing the unfolding tragedy with measured detachment.
The stage is a minimalist, white box, devoid of props or set pieces, creating a sense of confinement and inevitability. This bare environment focuses attention squarely on the characters' internal struggles and the simmering tensions that drive the narrative.
One scene employs extended pauses to heighten the tension between Eddie and Rodolpho as the family skirts around the topic of Catherine and Rodolpho's intimacy. While this technique aims to underscore the unspoken conflicts, the prolonged silences feel contrived, disrupting the production's otherwise relentless momentum.
Jan Versweyveld's lighting design bathes the stage in stark illumination, casting sharp shadows that mirror the characters' moral ambiguities. An D’Huys's costumes are understated, reinforcing the production's timeless quality. Tom Gibbons's sound design punctuates the action with subtle yet impactful cues, enhancing the overall atmosphere.
This production of A View from the Bridge is a compelling exploration of desire, honour and the human capacity for self-deception. Its stripped-back aesthetic and intense performances provide a fresh perspective on Miller's work for a contemporary audience.
By Kate Herbert
Cast:
· Mark Strong – Eddie Carbone
· Nicola Walker – Beatrice
· Phoebe Fox – Catherine
· Luke Norris – Rodolpho
· Emun Elliott – Marco
· Michael Gould – Alfieri
· Richard Hansell – Louis
· Jonah Russell – First Officer
· Pádraig Lynch – Second Officer
· Samantha Coughlan – Woman
· Cary Crankson – Man
· Samantha Dakin – Woman
Creative Team:
· Director – Ivo van Hove
· Design & Lighting – Jan Versweyveld
· Costume Design – An D’Huys
· Sound Design – Tom Gibbons
· Dramaturgy – Bart Van den Eynde
· UK Casting – Julia Horan CDG
· US Casting – Jim Carnahan
· Associate Director – Jeff James
· Associate Designer – James Turner
· Associate Lighting Designer – Nicki Brown
· Associate Sound Designer – Alex Twiselton
Cast
Creative Team
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