Review: A View from the Bridge (Tron Theatre)

Bridging the old and the new at The Tron

For better or worse, much is resting on this Arthur Miller production at the Tron. It is the directorial debut of Jemima Levick, Tron’s new Artistic Director. Taking over from Andy Arnold, Levick previously helmed A Play, A Pie and a Pint at the Oran Mor before taking over the Tron last year. With her A View from the Bridge, there is almost an invitation to overanalyse: to see this production not only as Levick demonstrating her directorial style in this new setting, but the direction of the Tron as a whole. It is surprising, then, that the choice of this play, or at least its direction, is rather understated.

In 1950s Brooklyn, an Italian American family consisting of dock worker Eddie (Mark Holgate), his wife Beatrice (Nicole Cooper), and their niece Catherine (Holly Howden Gilchrist) take in two of Beatrice’s cousins after they immigrate from Italy. When one of the cousins, Rodolpho (Michael Guest), begins a relationship with Catherine, buried desires and masculine pride lead to tension and tragedy. Even though the narration (delivered by Nicholas Karimi as lawyer Alfieri) tells us Eddie is a good man, Holgate’s performance is subtle enough to let us decide for ourselves. He finds humanity in a character with whom modern audiences might otherwise find it hard to sympathise. Holden Gilchrist’s girlish performance highlights her character’s immaturity but stops her from having the same depth as Cooper’s performance. As an unsatisfied housewife, she makes the absolute most of what the role has to offer.

Photo Credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

Arguably, the highlight of the performance is Guest, who brings a Sicilian zest to the stage as soon as he enters. He immediately lightens up the otherwise slow first half. The second half, thankfully, possesses more bite, with excellent combat and shocking twists that send gasps through the audience. The staging and design are not quite contemporary and not quite loyal to the original setting. The family home looks like a shipping container, but everything is oddly clean and polished. Similarly, the relationships between the characters at the start feel fresh out of the box and lack familiarity.

In the programme, Levick talks about how the play is not only beautifully written but also how contemporary it is. While there is no arguing with the first point, the themes of masculinity, immigration, and justice present are quite specific to the Italian American experience in this period. All of these themes have new meanings and different connotations here and now, and although the production has its strengths, Levick struggles to demonstrate its relevance today. What, exactly, this tells us about this new era for the Tron is hard to say. Three stars.

A View from the Bridge will play at The Tron Theatre until the 15th of March