Review: A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE (ARTHUR MILLER) at Silo, At Q Theatre, Auckland

Riveting. Universal. Authentic, Physical. Raw. Relevant.

And incredibly powerful – as powerful as any Greek tragedy might be. And the roots of the script itself bring out the typical themes of the Greek playwrights. What happens when love becomes obsessive and jealous, what happens when personal desire escalates to challenge community loyalty, and what happens when justice and law conflict. The ending of the play stems from the code of honour where "informing" (reporting people to authority) is seen as a betrayal, even if the person being reported has broken the law. The Greek structure extends to the use of a chorus and narrator, in the character of the Italian Alfieri. (Mata’afa Semu Filipo).  Now an American lawyer, he bridges the cultural divide between the two cultures. From the outset, he acts not only as a resonant storyteller, but as a wise commentator, as a Greek chorus would. But don’t think of this play as an old “classic’. This is a very contemporary take on the classic.

Set simply but effectively on a bare stage, but acted in the round, the audience looks into the living room of the Carbone family, poor Italians in 1950s living near the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.  The Italian Sicilian community value loyalty and trust. “immigration, belonging, threats of deportataion as an illegal immigrant, trying to build a life in another country – this is not distant from us” . Universal. Relevant. Deftly and imaginatively directed by Anapela Poiatai’Ivao, the open stage creates an open space effectively crafted to “show the people” as they are, their dreams, their desires, their struggles. The action moves with flow, and the simplicity of the set allows for well-positioned action, its perspective and space employed to create tension, delight, power, intimacy and distance between the characters.  It’s riveting.

Throughout the performance, the audience is perfectly positioned to observe both action and emotions from the perspectives of the characters, almost as if they are looking over the actors’ shoulders. This approach draws the viewers deeply into the story, allowing them to see and feel situations exactly as the characters do. As a result, the audience becomes emotionally invested, experiencing the drama as though they themselves are part of the unfolding narrative. At times you just want to yell out! This is the genius of theatrical artistic direction.

For those not familiar with the plot, Eddie Carbone  (Beulah Koale) is a good, hardworking longshoreman.  Koale is authentic, with passions and emotions that are raw, real and challenging. His performance is physically and psychologically  commanding, emotionally charged, intensely truthful, a powerhouse attempting to balance honour and a growing, possibly unnatural love for Catherine. He manages to appear both noble and unaware of how his feelings are changing. “For that character, I didn’t bring her up.”

Eddie is very protective of his orphaned niece Catherine (Hanah Tayeb) , who is approaching her 18th birthday. Eddie’s wife, Beatrice (Stacey Leilua) is the voice of reason and family loyalty. Things haven’t been great in the bedroom with Eddie recently, and she’s aware that Catherine is growing up. She tells Catherine she must think about how she dresses and behaves because: “you’re a grown up woman in a house with a grown up man.”  The audience sense her frustration, beautifully nuanced in the 1950’s moral and social code. Compelling character portrayal by Stacey Lailua, who sees the truth and is watching the tragedy unfold.

Anapeta Polata’Ivao skillfully focuses Catherine’s coming-of-age, especially in the opening sequence where she is excited about her first pair of heels. This moment not only marks a milestone in Catherine’s change from “a baby… don’t understand these things” but also sets the tone for her journey throughout the narrative. She’s not only going to grow up and get a job. She’s going to fall in love. Hanah Tayeb skillfully transitions from the awkwardness of adolescence to expressing the determined passion of a woman in love. Her genuine tears, visible as she struggles with the conflict of love, add depth to her performance.

In love with… Rodolpho (Arlo Green) .  Beatrice’s Italian cousins Marco (Jesme Fa’auuga) and Rodolpho, are smuggled in as illegal immigrants to Brooklyn. Green and Fa’aunga deliver entirely credible performances, portraying a wide range of emotions: cautiousness, loyalty, eager desire to please, moral strength, and even wit. Above all, they make it clear that they are there for work. In Italy, Rodolpho tells Catherine:  “There's nothing! Nothing, nothing, nothing.about. How can 1 bring you from a rich country to suffer in a poor country? 1 would be a criminal stealing your face. In two years you wouId have an old, hungry face. When my brother’s babies cry they give them water, water that’s boiIed from a bone.”  Catherine’s relationship with Eddie contrasts starkly with the relationship she develops with Rodolpho, and in the closing moments of the play, we are entirely enmeshed, into the challenges each of the characters are experiencing.

Precisely and perfectly directed, superbly characterised with authenticity and truth, and with outstanding collaboration from everyone in the production’s creative team, the production masterfully crafts a plot filled with tension and suspense, establishing dramatic conflict that keeps the audience riveted.  The atmospherically driven lighting design by Filament Eleven 11 – Rachel Marlow and Bradley Gledhill  and the evocative sound by Evoke Audio -Matt Eller are concentrated and intense, carefully balancing and cementing visual and auditory elements to cement the dramatic conflict.

This is an exciting and polished production. This is brilliant theatre of an interntional standard that cannot fail to resonate with us all. I have never seen space so superbly crafted. As Stacey Lailua notes, it “showcases the depth possible for brown productions.” It champions diversity, and the acting is beyond superb. You will be disappointed if you don't go and see it. DON'T MISS IT.

Glenda Pearce