What’s it all about?
Jealousy and the resulting tragedy of a man consumed by it.
Longshoreman Eddie Carbone and his wife Beatrice live in Brooklyn with their niece Catherine, with whom Eddie has an adoring, albeit quite sinister, relationship. When Beatrice’s Italian cousins enter the country illegally, Eddie welcomes them into their home and helps them find work at the docks. But when Catherine falls in love with one of the family’s new lodgers, the seemingly indestructible Eddie begins to crack, prompting a devastating series of events that leaves lives irreparably damaged and one, in particular, completely destroyed.
Who’s in it?
Almost all of the cast that received critical and public acclaim during the show’s run at the Young Vic have made the trip to the Wyndham’s Theatre for its West End transfer.
Leading the cast is Mark Strong, whose surname goes only a little way to describe the power of his performance. The Kingsman actor has already won the 2014 Critics’ Circle Award for his portrayal of Eddie, and that’s not surprising, so intense is the journey on which he takes his character. Strong’s ominous and self-interested Eddie becomes increasingly menacing as he struggles to deal with the building anguish and anger of the most important thing in his life being taken further and further away.
Phoebe Fox’s Catherine undergoes a similarly impactful transformation, from a childish and excitable girl who throws herself into the arms of Strong’s father figure to an individual determined to make her own decisions on her journey to womanhood.
Olivier Award winner Nicola Walker – as compelling as ever – proves an honest mediator between the two, wanting the best for her niece at the same time as suffering at the hands of Catherine’s relationship with her husband.
Emun Elliott and Luke Norris are equally convincing as the Italian brothers whose lives – and those of their families back home – are destroyed in the wake of Eddie’s jealousy and Michael Gould helps carry the story forward in the role of both lawyer and narrator.
What should I look out for?
Jan Versweyveld’s set – or the lack thereof – that allows Miller’s epic story to take centre stage and the theatrically stunning finale that fills it with colour.
In a nutshell?
Mark Strong secures another triumphant West End hit for the Young Vic with his intense and gripping portrayal of A View From The Bridge’s tragic protagonist.
What’s being said on Twitter?
@ClaudiaWinkle A View from the Bridge, Wyndham’s Theatre – do whatever you can do to see it. I’m serious.
@JoeHillGibbins ‘A View From a The Bridge’ was pretty phenomenal tonight. Amazing stuff from @PhoebeFox and the whole cast.
Will I like it?
To say that the Young Vic is on fire at the moment would be an understatement; it’s a raging inferno of theatrical talent that is spreading into the West End. Ivo Van Hove’s production proves just as powerful as the Olivier Award nominated Young Vic hit The Scottsboro Boys playing just down the road at the Garrick Theatre, stripping back Miller’s devastating drama and filling Versweyveld’s minimal designs with immense amounts of creativity, incredible performances and a concise version of a classic that is undoubtedly one of the must-see productions of 2014, even though it’s only February.
A View From The Bridge is booking at the Wyndham’s Theatre until 11 April. You can book tickets through the show’s website.