A View From The Bridge Meloni in the Arthur Miller classic is the hottest ticket in town. The Irish Times

as Eddie Carbone Gate Theatre, Dublin July 28 to September 30/05

The Gate Theater has transformed Arthur Miller's dockside tragedy, "A View From the Bridge," into a summertime crowdpleaser via the presence of "Law & Order: SVU" star Christopher Meloni, who offers a totally committed, if not entirely convincing, performance as the lustful and tortured Eddie Carbone. Queues for returned tickets -- unusual in Dublin theater -- are forming nightly in hopes of seeing Meloni in a rare stage appearance: His bio includes only two theater credits, and it seems likely he chose the relative lack of media spotlight in Eire to try on a role this sizable and challenging. more

Meloni revivifies method acting, not as a set of tics and mannerisms, but as a search for utter conviction. Everything about him belongs to a 1950s Brooklyn longshoreman - the V-shaped upper body, the heavy walk of a man used to balancing on rough surfaces, the hands that dangle like implements, the pained struggle between the desire to be decent and the physical power to impose his will. He moves with a wonderful combination of raw potency and tentative delicacy. Thoughts pass across his big, open face like clouds projected on a screen. When Alfieri tells us that Eddie's "eyes were like tunnels", we look at Meloni, and they are. more

That 'A View From The Bridge' is one of Miller's 'problem plays' makes it an interesting choice for the Gate Theatre's mid-summer production. With a largely conservative production policy and a commercial success, the selection of one of Arthur Miller's most difficult plays is certainly a risky programming decision, when one of his more classic masterpieces would have been an easier success. With a tightly ensemble cast, however, and a coherent version of the problematic play, it is a risk that has undoubtedly paid off for the production team and the audience alike. more

Christopher Meloni, best known for his leading role in Law and Order SVU, is spot-on as the beleaguered, emotionally-repressed yet inherently good Eddie. At times, Meloni is spellbinding, tender when required yet muscular throughout

Christopher Meloni as Eddie is a pacing animal of lust, confusion, pain and vulnerability, tragic in his attempt to retain control and justify feelings he cannot even explain. Cathy Belton once again proves what a sensitive , nuanced actor she is; her Beatrice ( Eddie's wife) only just manages to restrain her heaving sorrow at the unavoidable disintegration of her family, while John Kavanagh in the part of the lawyer and narrator, Alfieri explodes into frustration and confusion in the scenes with Meloni

When illegal immigrants Marco (Aidan Kelly) and Rodolpho (Paul Reid) hide out at the home of Brooklyn longshoreman Eddie Carbone (Christopher Meloni), Rodolpho's wooing of Catherine (Laura Murphy) brings to a head Eddie's semi-incestuous relationship with the niece he raised as a daughter. Although set in the mid-1950s, Arthur Miller's play is modelled on classical tragedy, offering an ambiguous hero flawed by illicit obsession. Meloni prowls the stage like a caged animal, but while Eddie roars and bullies, the actor allows his fellow cast members the space and time to create a convincing community. Mark Brokaw's direction encourages a savagely comic foreshadowing that abruptly tips over into the inevitable vicious climax

Eddie is a man's man, emphasised byMeloni's brickhouse build and ‘Noo Yoik' accent. He knows the way of the street,works hard and has had his fair share of hard times. The narrative unfolds with a swift but steady pace. Each character exposes a particular perspective and Miller allows the audience to empathise with each predicament, regardless of the choices made. The performances, especially Meloni's, are strong. His intense focus on the character of Eddie gives this production its driving force.

This is what Miller has given us, and this is what Mark Brokaw has brought faithfully to life. Christopher Meloni is electric as Eddie - one can only imagine that the late, great playwright would have loved to have seen his understated, explosive mastery. And Aidan Kelly matches him to menacing perfection as Marco. Other performances, while more than adequate for the most part, would still be thrown into shadow by comparison were it not for the hugely taut tension the director imposes on them.

Eddie Carbone played with brooding, threatening magnificence by Christopher Meloni

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Thanks to Yvonne Aug 9/05	Thanks to Heleen Aug 27/05		Thanks to Phil Sep 9/05