Theatre Review: A View from the Bridge

Surrounded by the danger and somberness of Red Hook, Arthur Miller created a gripping drama, relating the hardships of working-class Italian immigrants and the tragic consequences of a forbidden love.

The tight community of Italian immigrants serves as the background for one of the most iconic plays in American theatre. Eddie (Richard Baird), a longshoreman, lives with his wife Beatrice (Margot White) and his orphaned 17-year-old niece Catherine (Marie Zolezzi). Eddie is going through a middle age crisis, exacerbated by the bedroom issues with his wife and the disturbing sexual attraction towards his niece. As a good Italian man, he welcomes Beatrice’s cousins Marco (Lowell Byers) and Rodolpho (Coby Rogers). But the flirting between Catherine and Rodolpho triggers Eddie’s rage, building tension and conflict by the day.

Alfieri (Frank Corrado), a lawyer serving as a narrator in the play, tries to convince Eddie to get Catherine out of his mind and bless her relationship with Rodolpho. Eddie, however, is reaching the point of no return, his eyes like tunnels, lost in his madness. A presage of an unstoppable tragedy.

The illusions of the first love, the honorability within a tight community, and the hopes of a new life in America are shattered by Eddie’s perception of a challenge to his authority and his inability to control his emotions. The characters soon find out that these issues will become a hindrance to their happiness and a rupture of their mutual trust.

On stage, the cast and the experienced direction of David Ellenstein create a pulsating staging that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Ellenstein builds up the suspense scene after scene, invigorating the action to reach a dynamic and captivating climax. The actors explore the layers of emotions and conflicts that make this play such a rich ground on themes of sexuality, migrants experience, and the complexities of human relations.

At the epicenter of this memorable production is Richard Bair. His portrayal of Eddie is electrifying. Baird excels in exteriorizing the agony and devastation of a man who is about to violate the sacrosanct omertà, destroying everything and everyone around him, blinded by his uncontrollable passion. Baird goes all in, achieving a triumphant presentation, elating an audience absorbed by his riveting performance.

The lighting with the blue hues and the brownish tones of the set design highlight the intensity and roughness of life on the waterfront, an accurate depiction of the hardships of immigrants and their efforts to survive in New York in the 1950s.

This production succeeds in capturing the emotional distress of a character falling prey to his own demons, risking his reputation, his family, and his place in the world.

A View from the Bridge

Laguna Playhouse
606 Laguna Canyon Rd. Laguna Beach, CA

Runs: Sunday, November 3 – Sunday, November 17, 2024
Wednesdays at 7:30pm; Thursdays at 2:00pm and 7:30pm; Fridays at 7:30pm;
Saturdays at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Sundays at 1:00pm & 5:30pm.
There will be no performance on Sunday, November 3 at 1:00pm or Sunday,
November 17 at 5:30pm.
There will be a post-show talkback following the Friday, November 8
performance.

Ticketslagunaplayhouse.com

Written by Arthur Miller. Directed by David Ellenstein.

Cast: Richard Baird, Lowell Byers, Frank Corrado, Steve Froehlich, Coby Rogers, Matthew Salazar-Thompson, Margot White, and Marie Zolezzi.

Creative team: Scenic design by Marty Burnett; lighting design by Matthew Novotny; sound design by Ian Scot; costume design by Elisa Benzoni; hair and wigs design by Peter Herman; props design by Kevin Williams; fight coordinator is Christopher M. Williams. The Production Stage Manager is Vernon Willet.

Theatre Review: Don’t Dress for Dinner

With splashes of commedia de’llarte—minus the masks—the cast delivers a tasty dinner made up of jealousy and mistaken identities.

Bernard (Brian Robert Burns) expects her wife Jacqueline (Kim Morgan Dean) to leave their house to visit her mother for the weekend. What Bernard really wants is to spend time with his mistress Suzanne (Katy Tang). Bernard also invites his friend Robert (Brandon J. Pierce) to spend the weekend with him and hires the services of the cook Suzette (Veronica Dunne). His plans, however, get derailed when Jacqueline answers the phone and finds out about both the cook and Robert’s visit. As Jacqueline and Robert are also having an affair, she decides to cancel the visit to her mother. That decision turns things upside down, creating a pressure cooker ready to explode.

An excellent Kim Morgan Dean delivers an astonishing performance as the jealous and cheating wife. She adds a hint of rage and animosity that make her character look like a protagonist and antagonist at the same time, all within the realm of comedy. Director Christopher M. Williams has the luxury of working with a superb cast that turns the characters into a menagerie of panicking individuals on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Brian Robert Burns, Katy Tang (Marry Me a Little), Brandon J. Pierce, Veronica Dunne, and Jared Van Heel all shine bright and loud on stage thanks to their commanding comedy skills. At one point, Pierce delivers a long and fast line without tripping at all; a testament of his speech qualities.

Framing the excellent qualities of the thespians, Williams uses a sophisticated set design to convey a French farmhouse. The high key lighting is a classic for these kinds of stories and is used effectively in this production. Also worth mentioning is the sexy and sophisticated costumes that serve the story and the traits of the characters.

The blocking allows the actors to navigate the stage in a way that highlights the intense physical comedy demanded for this story. This is a play that requires elevated skills in speech and action, making this production a highly dynamic performance that explores themes of infidelity, equality, and broken and amended relationships.

The fine visual details, the extraordinary script, the talented cast, and the creative direction make this production a real treat for the theatre lovers out there. It’s a gem within a gem. The Laguna Playhouse is celebrating its 104th anniversary. Its website lists the long list of productions staged in this iconic theatre, from the 1902s up to now, a very significant legacy in California’s rich theatre history.

Don’t Dress for Dinner

Laguna Playhouse

606 Laguna Canyon Rd.

Laguna Beach, CA

Runs: Sunday, September 8 – Sunday, September 22, 2024

Opening: Sunday Sep 8 at 5:30pm.

Wednesdays at 7:30pm; Thursdays at 2:00pm and 7:30pm; Fridays at 7:30pm;
Saturdays at 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Sundays at 1:00pm & 5:30pm.

There will be no performance on Sunday, September 8 at 1:00pm or Sunday, September 22 at 5:30pm.

There will be a post-show talkback following the Friday, September 13 performance.

Ticketslagunaplayhouse.com

Written by Marc Camoletti. Adapted by Robin Hawdon. Directed by Christopher M. Williams.

Cast: Brian Robert Burns as “Bernard,” Kim Morgan Dean as “Jacqueline,” Veronica Dunne as “Suzette,” Brandon J. Pierce as “Robert,” Katy Tang as “Suzanne,” and Jared Van Heel as “George.”

Creative team: Scenic design by Marty Burnett; costume design by Elisa Benzoni; lighting design by Matthew Novotny; sound design by Chris Luessman; props design by Kevin Williams.  Additional casting by Michael Donovan Casting, Michael Donovan, CSA & Richie Ferris, CSA. The Production Stage Manager is Vernon Willet.