Arthur Miller returns with a new 'View'...

By Shannon O'Sullivan

Daily Arts Writer

Celebrating the opening of the U of M Theatre and Drama 2000-2001 season, and at the same time honoring Arthur Miller's 85th birthday, "A View From the Bridge" opens this Thursday, with not a ticket left to buy. Miller's spellbinding play is the first event of a series being given in his honor, culminating with a symposium Oct. 26-28, where Miller will be in attendance.

Although "A View From the Bridge" first premiered on Broadway in 1955, many of its messages still appeal to today's society, as it won the 1998 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. With a plot revolving around obsession and treachery, "A View From the Bridge" reaches deep into the psychological mind of humans, revealing powerful emotions.

The drama centers on an Italian-American family, the Carbonnes, living in Brooklyn, New York. Eddie and Beatrice Carbonne are struggling with their niece Catherine, as she begins to develop into a woman and wants her freedom. The plot thickens and trouble begins to brew when Beatrice's cousins, Marco and Rodolpho, illegal immigrants, come to live with the family. Against Eddie's wishes, Catherine falls in love with Rodolpho. Drastically, Eddie resorts to extreme measures to try to hold his family together.

Producer Darryl Jones, winning the Washington Theatre Lobby Award for his production of "A View From the Bridge," has worked closely with Miller in the past. For this production, Jones strives to get at the core of the Italian family, looking closely at their customs and culture. Jones stated, "The Italian family is a microcosm, with New York being a macrocosm; we want to illuminate the Italian culture and religion."

Through references to Sicilian folk and religious imagery, he hopes to bring out the psychological nature and thinking of characters and the audience. The setting is a simple unit set with windows to provide a community atmosphere and scafling to suggest the idea of a bridge. Jones comments on the scenery, saying, "A great play doesn't need tampering with, when you've got good actors, it just happens." Many of the cast members are also Jones' students and BFA Performance majors. Lighting designer, Rob Murphy, set designer, Daniel Rutz, and costume designer, Neal Somers join Jones on the behind the scenes team.

Courtesy of University Productions

"A View from the Bridge" plays the Trueblood Theatre through Oct. 15.