Great View from The Barn

Much-honored American playwright Arthur Miller never shied away from tough subjects. Two years after the close of W.W. II, his All My Sons (1947) took on war profiteering. Death of a Salesman (1949) showed one destructive side of capitalism and might have been inspired by one of his uncles. The Crucible (1953,) a drama about the Salem witch trials, paralleled the House hearings about Communism. And in After the Fall (1964,) Miller even fictionalized his own marriage to then-addicted Marilyn Monroe.

A View from the Bridge (1955,) now being produced at The Barn Theatre, examines crime on the docks in New York, but this is no watered-down On the Waterfront. The playwright also throws in illegal immigration, lust and homosexuality – or is it homophobia?

Its story is unfolded by Mr. Alfieri, an all-seeing lawyer in Red Hook, New York. Mr. Alfieri’s practice is with “the petty troubles of the poor,” but while justice is important here, he admits that suspicion of the law is 3000 years old. This Italian-American community has its own laws, many of them concerning appearances and behavior.

Eddie Carbone admonishes his 17-year-old niece, Catherine, about “walkin’ wavy;” down here on the docks, it’s an invitation to trouble. Even more worrisome, Catherine has a good job offer -- $50 a week. Her aunt Beatrice is delighted, but Eddie isn’t. He wanted more for her, he says.

Beatrice has additional cause for joy; her cousins have arrived from Italy, smuggled over on a ship. They now must work on the docks to pay off their transport. The dark one, Marco, hopes to stay three or four months and send money home to his wife and children. His brother Rodolpho, unexpectedly blonde, loves everything in America, wants to stay and become a citizen. But Rodolpho likes to sing, and that could attract unwanted attention. He’s already getting noticed on the wharf for his hair and his speech: “You can never remember what he says, but it’s the way he says it.”

Things are not so good between Eddie and Bea in the marriage department, either, especially when Bea suggests that their “Katy” is a woman now, getting too big for certain things.

But Eddie’s more obsessed with their visitors. Rodolpho sings, cooks, makes dresses. “He ain’t right” and doesn’t belong on the waterfront. Mostly, though, he doesn’t belong anywhere near Katy. Eddie makes a move to prove that he’s right about the young man and disgraces himself.

When Eddie shows up at his office, Mr. Alfieri sees the worst coming “I’ll never forget how dark the room became when he looked at me.” Eddie has only one last weapon in his arsenal. Once he uses it, the family’s tragedy will be complete.

Director Cris Cassell has brought in a fully realized production of Miller’s play, from Michael Berg’s mid-50s costumes to David Apple’s set to Billie Cox’s waterfront sounds and music.

Bridge’s large cast has six principle actors, each one flawlessly cast and believable. Rick Williams’ Alfieri’s resigned gravitas foreshadows the direction of the drama. Eric Burke’s Eddie is the consistently unyielding tragic hero. Hallie Frazer as Beatrice and Denise Elia as the teenaged Catherine demonstrate the feminine constraints of their time and culture. Michael Orlando as hardworking Marco and Jordan Winer as ebullient Rodolpho seem both exotic and familiar, like the 50s themselves. And happily, mercifully, all the accents work.

A View from the Bridge will be at The Barn Theatre in the Marin Art & Garden Center, Ross, through June 21. Performances are at 8:00 Fridays and Saturdays, 2:00 Sundays, 7:30 Thursdays. Tickets may be ordered online at www.rossvalleyplayers.com,
from the box office, 456-9555, or at the door. Prices range from $15 - $25.