Theatre Review: A View from the Bridge

(Image: The Young Vic Theatre Facebook page)

A couple of weeks ago I went to see The Young Vic's production of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge at the Wyndham's Theatre and I thought it was ace. If you fancy seeing some proper theatre that will leave you feeling emotionally drained in the best possible way, I think you'll like this!

I didn't know anything about the story beforehand, but it's set in 1950s Brooklyn where a longshoreman, Eddie, welcomes his cousins from Italy to stay as they try and make it in the land of the free. However, when one of them begins a relationship with Eddie's orphaned niece Catherine, it becomes apparent that Eddie is a bit too protective of her. His jealousy grows throughout the play, causing concern for the new couple and his wife Beatrice, until eventually his obsession with his niece is taken too far. Needless to say, it doesn't end well.

I love all of the literature from the American Dream period so naturally I really liked the actual script of this. (Can you tell I'm a literature student?)The play doesn't have an interval, it just continues for two hours straight. I think it's good that they do this though because it's so intense all the way through that I think it might lose momentum if they paused in the middle. There were so many bits where I felt like you could cut the tension with a knife! I was sitting in the stalls but they have seats actually on the stage for this production which I think would feel even more intense as you'd be so close. I thought all three main characters were fantastic but Mark Strong especially stood out as Eddie as he seemed so temperamental, like he might flip at any moment. His relationship with Catherine makes you feel pretty uncomfortable as for uncle and niece, he is a little too close for comfort. However, something about his performance makes you feel a little sorry for him too as he obviously cares about her and thinks he's doing what's best for her.

I don't want to give away the ending for people who haven't seen it but it was my favourite bit of the whole play. I will say that it involves water and is very symbolic, but I shan't say anything else!

It's going to be on at the Wyndham's Theatre until April so if there are any tickets left then I urge you to go and see it because it really is a great piece of proper theatre. If you haven't had or won't have the chance to see it, fear not because from the 26th March, National Theatre Live is broadcasting it out to certain cinemas so it's definitely worth seeing if it's coming anywhere near you. I wholeheartedly recommend!

Theatre Review: The Crucible

(Image: Literature and Life)

Earlier this week I went to see a cinema screening of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, a production on at The Old Vic earlier this year. I love going to these as I quite often find out about shows that were on ages ago that I didn't get to see, so these cinema screenings mean you don't have to miss out on things. A very chilling, gruelling piece with little comic relief, The Crucible is definitely one to steel yourself for.

Written in the 1950s, The Crucible tells the partially fictionalised story of the Salem witch trials that took place in America in the late 17th century. The play opens with a panicked Reverend Parris watching over his seriously ill daughter Betty, as it is assumed that her illness has come as a result of exposure to witchcraft. Several women throughout the play are accused of witchcraft by the rather psychotic 17-year-old Abigail Williams, including Elizabeth Proctor, the wife of Abigail's ex-lover John Proctor. This, of course, makes for a very tense atmosphere for both the characters and the audience.

My initial reaction was shock about how long it was. It runs at around three and a half hours, not including the ten minute interval, so it was quite a long time for me to sit still and pay attention! That said, I did find the majority of it really gripping. There is a really powerful, dialogue-free movement sequence at the beginning of the play, all amidst a lot of smoke which sets a suitably eerie tone for the rest of the play. Samantha Colley who plays Abigail is fantastic as she is believably manipulative and unhinged whilst accusing people of witchcraft. Natalie Gavin is also really strong as a servant to the Proctors who gets caught up in the accusations of witchcraft and is torn as to where her loyalties lie. Although she has a fairly small part, I thought Sarah Niles who plays Reverend Parris' slave Tituba was brilliant and really stood out for me.

I did find in parts of it there was a bit too much shouting and not a lot of variety in the levels of speech, if that makes sense. One of the main culprits for this is the play's selling point, Richard Armitage, who plays John Proctor. I wasn't 100% sold by his performance as it becomes a little monotonous and unconvincing. As for the filming of it, it's sometimes a bit too cinematic for me, with closeups and fading in and out. Some will disagree with me on this but when I watch cinema screenings of theatre performances, I like them to be as similar to seeing the real thing as possible, with no fancy special effects or filming.

Overall, I think it's really well-put together production that remains gripping and core-chilling throughout. Definitely worth a trip! It's on for a while longer I think in lots of different locations around the world if you fancy seeing it.

Have any of you seen it?