Theatre Review: A View from the Bridge performed at the Lutcher Theatre in Orange, Teaxs on April 14 2012
Introduction:
A View from the Bridge is an intriguing play which sheds light on an ordinary working man’s life which initially appears to be going through a good patch but which turns sour after some family business which ruins him. It is an intriguing play which demonstrates that the working class have their own emotions too and are allowed to think and act although the end result is quite tragic to say the least. I saw the play at the Lutcher Theatre in Orange, Texas on the 14th of April 2012. It was a dark night which also had some muggy elements in it and which was really quite the perfect setting for the play which I was about to see
The acting in the play was very believable and highly dramatic. First and foremost one could observe that the actors were very much in keeping with the characters in the play and showed an affinity with them. The main character Eddie was quite brilliantly portrayed in every regard. I was not so taken with the cousins in the play as well as the wife who appeared to be slightly staid and without much of a direction, in any case the acting in that department was quite adequate. Overall the performance was quite excellent ensemble wise and demonstrated that the whole message came across very much in pristine condition. It shows that with certain textual elements and direction, a play can turn from being something mediocre into a real thriller with several points in its favour.
Gina Hinson’s direction is very much part and parcel with proceedings accordingly. She managed to recreate the life of the doomed salesman in all its mediocrity and the production moved along quite well in this respect. However there were phases when unity seemed to be lacking especially in the parts where Eddie begins to help his cousins although we do not really know for what he is doing this. Still the actors moved quite swiftly on and off the stage and the rhythm of the production seemed to be just about right although at the end it did seem to drag a bit. However this does not detract from the overall cut and thrust of the play which is quite excellent in any regard.
The Lutcher Theatre in Orange, Texas is certainly a beautiful one apart from the fact that it is also very modern. I hugely enjoyed the sense of space that the performance was given and the way the audience is positioned also greatly assists the interaction between actors and the audience, this is obviously a very important factor if the play is to succeed. The space was also pretty large in comparison to other productions and this fitted like a glove when compared to other plays in the same theatre as A View from a Bridge needs to convey a sense of expansion if it is to come off well. I felt that the space afforded to the production made it come out extremely well. The aspects of the bridge and the sensation of height were aspects which could be felt immediately and demonstrated that the play was powerful in its conveyance of loneliness and intrinsic unhappiness when the main character is faced with his own fate.
The scenery was adequate enough although Theatre on the Edge are not really renowned for that as they concentrate mostly on the psychological effect of the play and its drama. The setting was excellent as it conveyed a certain bleakness in this respect. The grey and black colours seemed to dominate proceedings as did the sea and the interior of Eddie’s house which seems to be what is going on in every respect. Although the set was recognizable, it could have been any locale although there were symbolic elements in the scenery which made it look like New York, obviously the bridge is an intrinsic part of any New York skyline. I found the whole scenery very alluring and in keeping with the play.
The costumes did not have anything to write home about as they were simply costumes which had to do with the setting of the time. They were practically working class people’s clothes and very much in keeping with the period from which they came from. The colours were pretty drab and bleak although one could say that the costumes were very much appropriate for the characters social status and personality. All in all the costumes are not really an important part of the play so they were very much secondary in my assessment but they were adequate nonetheless.
The lighting used in the play was excellent and conveyed a lot of information about the characters in question. The mood of the lighting was quite bleak and actually caught up the whole atmosphere and mood of the play accordingly. Certain techniques which focused on sole characters had fine lighting while others appeared to be a bit crammed when the whole perspective was taken into account. The actor’s faces could be seen very well indeed and the lighting changed quite fast making the play very exciting and intriguing especially in the final moments which did leave a bit to be desired.
The leading characters especially Eddie demonstrated a certain flair and directness which was very much the kernel of the play. I found Eddie’s relationship with his family portrayed quite brilliantly although at times he does seem to be divorced from reality. The suspense created by the final events of the play is also something not to be denied in every respect and here the kernel of the play is to be found. Personally I identified with Eddie as he seems to be the character with the most sense in his head and although he meets a tragic end it is really through no fault of his. His goals were being met in the early part of his life but in the end everything goes quite awry.
I found the play riveting and extremely intriguing in every respect. It is a powerful play that shows the isolation of the working classes who are left without much hope in their life if their routine is destabilized. It provides excellent social commentary in this respect and demonstrates that life can be hard and without hope for several if this turns sour. A View from the Bridge is truly cutting edge theatre at its best.
