Review of Loft Theatre Company production of A View From the Bridge (2012)

This is theatre firing on all cylinders.

Take a 20th century classic from one of the most compelling writers of the era, cast it with intelligence and insight, and deliver a production that positively seethes with potency.

Arthur Miller, in his most dynamic phase, gave us this tour de force, a kind of half-brother to his Death of a Salesman and All My Sons and every bit as soul-shredding.

William Wilkinson’s Loft production seizes the moment – all two hours of moments – to penetrate the Brooklyn waterfront world of Eddie Carbone and his family and their two illegal immigrant relatives from Italy, and the human emotions and frailties that lead to conflict, betrayal and tragedy. Its overall impact hinges on the performances, on the players exhibiting belief in the passions and motivations of their characters.

We are not short-changed. Tim Willis breathes fire into Eddie, shambling around the stage with a bear-like gait and struggling to articulate the complex feelings which are clouding his simplistic vision. Unable to self-express, he can only resort to physical remonstrance to counter the curious stirrings of morality and sexuality which are haunting him. ‘I’m a patsy – what can a patsy do?’ he cries in a moment of rare self-revelation. The man’s torments are beautifully conveyed.

Wendy Morris achieves splendid credibility as the wife who papers over his blunt aggressiveness in a portrayal which occasionally (and quite happily!) carries echoes of Marge Simpson. Equally happily, the family tempo is maintained by Katharine Bayley who brings the teenage niece to vivid life across a spectrum covering repressed innocence and growing womanhood. And there is fine work also from Chris Gilbey-Smith and William Francis, the latter a new actor to note, as the idealistic immigrants.

This is powerhouse stuff indeed. Dramatic, demanding and ultimately fulfilling. The Loft company has done spectacularly well to take up the challenge and meet Mr Miller head on.

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Peter McGarry is an experienced, independent professional theatre critic who has agreed to review Loft Theatre Company productions.

The agreement with the Loft is that Peter is free to express his opinions for good or ill. The Loft Theatre Company has no control whatsoever over the content of these reviews and will never comment publicly on what he writes.