Tag Archives: Pierro Niel-Mee

“A View from the Bridge” at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

Arthur Miller’s 1955 play is far from his best work. Yet this revival, which comes from Bath, has a strong cast, while director Lindsay Posner succeeds in making the text swift and exciting. If the play has dated badly, it still provokes thought, and excellent performances make the most of the characters.

Miller’s setting is specific and vividly evoked – a community of longshoremen who live and work near Brooklyn Bridge. When two “submarines”, illegal immigrants from Italy, arrive at the Carbone home, the already uncomfortable balance between Eddie, his wife Beatrice, and niece, Catherine, results in tragedy.

There are plenty of ‘themes’ in A View from the Bridge. Many feel topical. There’s immigration, of course, where Miller explores how sympathy for those arriving from a poverty-stricken continent comes with conditions. And a contemporary audience will note Eddie’s toxic masculinity and the domestic violence in the play. Posner handles the tension well: Beatrice and Catherine suffer psychologically, and Kate Fleetwood and Nia Towle are terrific in these roles.

A-View-From-The-Bridge-Pierro-Niel-and-Callum-Scott-Howells-credit-Johan-Persson
Pierro Niel-Mee and Callum Scott Howells

Catherine’s affair with newly arrived Rodolfo isn’t written as well – it seems included to reveal Eddie’s inappropriate obsession with the orphan girl he has raised. While Callum Scott Howells brings a strange glamour to the role of Rodolfo (you can imagine a young girl falling for the character he skilfully creates), Towle seems wasted in her part. Similarly, Rodolfo’s brother, capably performed by Pierro Niel-Mee, has little to do. In short, characters are only foils to Eddie.

“Blue in his mind”

Given the play’s focus, having a star like Dominic West as top billing is essential. West is truly commanding, so imposing that his hold over his family convinces. And he brings an affability to the role that makes Eddie occasionally, appealing. But there is a problem with humour, at least for some audience members, when it comes to Eddie’s homophobia. A conviction that Rodolfo isn’t “right” shouldn’t be something to laugh at. From Eddie’s perspective, it’s a genuine concern, even if he is using it as an excuse to hide his jealousy. There’s no doubting Eddie’s anger (West is excellent here), but, overall, torment is underplayed – it should be bigger than his unrequited lust. Catherine’s observation that Eddie is “blue in his mind” could be made more of.

It’s hard to have sympathy for Eddie. West is good at making him creepy, but the production might have more nuance and offer something fresh if his mental health was given more time. Still, even without it, the play is sometimes slow. A pivotal moment, when Eddie betrays the Italians, illustrates how drawn out it can be. And the role of a lawyer, a kind of narrator, played by expertly by Martin Marquez, is downright cumbersome. All the performances here are strong enough not to need so much pointed out to us. The cast is the reason to see this show.

Until 3 August 2024

www.trh.co.uk

Photo by Johan Persson

“Machinal” at the Old Vic Theatre

After an acclaimed run in Bath, this revival of Sophie Treadwell’s 1928 play comes to London. It’s a confrontational piece based on the execution of Ruth Snyder, who killed her husband in his sleep. The stylised script, described as Expressionist, is matched by Richard Jones’ direction and is unquestionably memorable. But a word of warning: the play is a challenge and at times downright unpleasant.

Treadwell’s version of Snyder is called Helen and is quite a puzzle. She’s super-sensitive to touch and noise and mentions smells more than once. She reacts violently to stimuli with physical spasms. Taking the lead, Rosie Sheehy gives a suitably intense performance that is easy to admire. It’s a mammoth, exhausting role that will surely, deservedly, earn award nominations. The depiction is visceral, but it is also oppressive.

Through a series of (literally titled) scenes, we see Helen’s desperation at home and her unhappy marriage. Then there’s a one-night stand that she reacts to with unexpected passion but characteristic ferocity. The character is clearly ill, but it’s left to the audience to try to work out how – and to question how much sympathy to have for her. Treadwell’s career as a journalist might help here. Is she somehow trying to present events objectively?

Tim Francis and Rosie Sheehy in Machinal at the Old Vic
Tim Francis and Rosie Sheehy

Other roles are small, but strong performances make them memorable. Helen’s lover and husband, Pierro Niel-Mee and Tim Francis respectively, are excellent. They don’t quite know what to make of Helen either! The performance from Buffy Davis, as Helen’s mother, is more complex. As with those Helen meets at work or within the legal system, characters have a deliberate flatness and are occasionally comic, which makes you wonder: are we seeing the world all through Helen’s eyes?

The large cast works in a small space, Hyemi Shin’s set makes the stage tiny, so that Jones’ staging is hugely accomplished. All the movement (credited to Sarah Fahie) is controlled – mannered and alienated – while Adam Silverman’s superb lighting design creates yet more claustrophobia through spooky shadows and a lot of strobes.

It all grates. Of course, that’s the point. And theatre doesn’t just entertain. Jones and his committed cast take tremendous efforts to discomfit us (and nearly two hours without a break makes sure of this). Sheehy really is remarkable, and there are moments in Machinal that made my skin crawl. It’s an achievement, of sorts, but not one for all tastes.

Until 1 June 2024

www.oldvictheatre.com

Photos by Manuel Harlan