Review: A View from the Bridge, Tron Theatre, Glasgow 2025

Name: A View from the Bridge
Brand: Glasgow Tron Theatre
Rating: 4 (1 reviews)

Lisa in the theatre

2 days ago4 min read

Tron Theatre Company presents A View From The Bridge | Written by Arthur Miller | Directed by Jemima Levick

Production photos: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

L-R Mark Holgate as Eddie and Nicole Cooper as Beatrice, credit Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

A View from the Bridge review, Glasgow Tron Theatre 2025 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Tron Theatre's new Artistic Director Jemima Levick has chosen Arthur Miller's classic play A View from the Bridge as her inaugural production. Keen to relate the Brooklyn-based masterpiece to Glasgow, Levick has spoken previously about how the themes of immigration and citizenship in Miller's 1950s family drama are just as timely as ever in the Glasgow and UK of today.

A View From The Bridge centres on the American Carbone family: dock worker Eddie (Mark Holgate), his wife Beatrice (Nicole Cooper) and their niece Catherine (Holly Howden Gilchrist) who welcome Beatrice's Italian cousins Marco (Reuben Joseph) and Rodolpho (Michael Guest) into their home in working-class Brooklyn. The cousins have arrived in the US illegally. They hope to find work on the local docks and save enough money to send back to Italy. But while Marco is quiet and determined, Rodolpho is more foolhardy. His bright blonde hair already makes him stick out within the local Italian-American community.

Narrated by omniscient New York lawyer Mr Alfieri (Nicholas Karimi), tension builds as the Carbone family crumble under the weight of keeping the illegal immigrants hidden from the authorities. But ultimately it's honour, desire and the complexity of family relationships that drive one family member to betray those closest to them.

Nicholas Karimi as Alfieri, Reuben Joseph as Marco, Michael Guest as Rodolpho and Holly Howden Gilchrist as Catherine, credit Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

Levick's A View from the Bridge is set inside and around a huge, metal shipping container which acts as the Carbone family home. I love the industrial feel this adds to the stage, bringing to mind the Brooklyn docks the family's livelihood so depends upon. I imagine that Eddie has loaded and unloaded hundreds of similar containers during his time working as a longshoreman on the docks.

Set designer Alex Lowes' raised, open-fronted shipping container also brings the actors eye level with the audience and removes any physical barriers between the two. This is especially effective as the pressure between the characters heightens. The threat of violence rolls off the stage. A View from the Bridge is difficult to watch at times, and praise must be given to Fight Director EmmaClaire Brightlyn; The physical struggles look very real indeed. I actually sat back in my seat at one point such was the power of authentic violence happening mere feet from my face.

Nicholas Karimi as Alfieri, credit Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

I personally find Miller's original play to be very dialogue heavy - especially in act one. I'm not here to criticise Miller, I wouldn't dare. The writing is beautiful and I understand, I do, that we're learning about the characters backgrounds, their motivations and setting the groundwork so that the tragedy that comes later is all the more impactful. But Jemima Levick's meticulous direction adds so much movement and interest to the already fascinating piece. She uses every inch of the set and an abundance props so that the cast go about their daily business - as they would've done - while having these important chats. From making coffee, to washing dishes, even taking a shower - it's a complex, choreographed performance around which Miller's dialogue flows naturally.

The interactions between the characters too are brilliantly judged. Subtle touches and glances tell a deeper story than that which is spoken aloud. Performed by an incredibly strong cast, more than 70 years after it was written, A View from the Bridge continues to be shocking and devastating in the hands of this exceptional company and director.

Michael Guest as Rodolpho and Holly Howden Gilchrist as Catherine, credit Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

Rumour has it that A View from the Bridge is based on a true story that was passed from the longshoremen of the Brooklyn docks, to a lawyer, and then to playwright Arthur Miller during the 1950's. To me, that rings true and makes this play all the more tragic.

Jemima Levick's first production for the Tron is a quality revival overflowing with exquisite attention to detail. Don't miss your chance to see this true classic impeccably staged, directed and performed right here in Glasgow.

A View from the Bridge is at Glasgow Tron Theatre until Saturday 15 March 2025. Full listing details here

Find the full cast and creative info for the Tron's A View From the Bridge here