A landmark drama, written in the 1950s, about fidelity, toxic masculinity and the scapegoating of undocumented immigrants continues to resonate in a searing production of Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge,” launching the 43rd season of North Coast Repertory Theatre.
Set in a downtrodden neighborhood in Brooklyn, Eddie Carbone is a longshoreman of Italian descent for whom justice and honor are of the utmost importance. He works hard to support his wife Beatrice and orphaned niece Catherine, who the couple have raised as their own. But fissures begin to appear as Catherine blossoms into womanhood, Eddie’s feelings toward her grow into an unhealthy obsession and the marriage bed Eddie shares with Beatrice grows cold.
Tensions further escalate when brothers Marco and Rudolpho arrive after being smuggled into the country from Sicily in the hold of a cargo ship. They are distant cousins of Beatrice, whom she has never met, yet the just-scraping-by Carbones understand the familial obligation to house destitute relatives while keeping the men’s illegal status secret as they work at jobs Eddie has secured for them on the docks.
In the hands of director David Ellenstein, the tightly forged cast delivers extraordinary performances all around. First and foremost is Richard Baird, whose heart-rending embodiment of Eddie is fully complemented by Margot White’s poignant Beatrice who senses what’s coming and is powerless to prevent it. As Catherine, Marie Zolezzi superbly navigates the transition of the character’s painful journey from naivete to clear-eyed independence. Coby Rogers’ portrayal of Rudolpho is delightfully charming but also suspiciously self-serving given the tantalizing prospect of U.S. citizenship simply by marrying an American.
Throughout the story, the neighborhood attorney Alfieri (a compelling performance by Frank Corrado) breaks the fourth wall to give context to the Italian honor code and the implications when it is violated. He also counsels Eddie who comes to him in rage and despair seeking a legal remedy to stop the developing relationship between Catherine and Rudolpho from proceeding to the altar. When informed that no laws exist that can help him, Eddie goes in search of the nearest pay phone. The knowledge that lives both here and abroad are at stake makes the metallic sound of the thin dime dropped into the coin slot positively chilling.
Keep your eye on brother Marco. Written to practically disappear into the wallpaper early in the story, when the character’s climatic moment comes it’s one that actor Lowell Byers ensures you will never forget. Steve Froehlich and Matthew Salazar-Thompson play critical roles as dockworkers and door-battering immigration officers.
Set designer Marty Burnett and props designer Kevin Williams render the Carbone’s tenement apartment, Alfieri’s bare-bones law office and the port dockside as a single, fluid entity tied together by the clever use of wooden cargo crates of varying sizes that serve as living-room side tables, Alfieri’s office desk and an alley wall for idle longshoremen to pitch pennies. A steel-girder holding up the living-room ceiling emphasizes proximity to the Brooklyn Bridge and the weight of a blue-collar existence. Scene changes among stage elements are seamless thanks to the creative work of lighting designer Matthew Novotny and sound designer Ian Scot. Era-perfect costume design by Elisa Benzoni. Hair and wigs design by Peter Herman.
by Lynne Friedmann
