PUBLISHED 02 October 2023
"I want my name! Marco's got my name."
Live theatre is capable of providing moving experiences, laughter, and moments of extreme tension. All three of these were in the air, at different points during the action, at Bolton’s Octagon Theatre on a recent September afternoon, to the advantage of Mr Bridges’ Year 10 class who are currently studying A View from the Bridge as their set play text.
A flexible and polished cast performed Miller’s modern American tragedy, situated within New York’s tough immigrant Red Hook community of the 1950s, complete with trappings of impromptu jazz singing, fiery domestic squabbles, budding romance, and resentful relatives. Troubled longshoreman Eddie Carbone and his apparent concern for his niece, Catherine, was only the tip of the iceberg in a narrative whose journey witnessed law-dodging, a marriage under pressure, and incendiary threats. What other way could such a fated tale end than with sharp accusations, physical conflict and irreversibly shocking consequences?
Hopefully, our Year 10 students will benefit from seeing Miller’s words brought to life onstage. Certainly their attentiveness, manners, and good company did not go by unnoticed – they were a pleasure to take out of school.
John Bridges