Susan Granger’s review of “A View from the Bridge” (Cort Theater)
Best known as Woody Allen’s current cinematic muse, Scarlett Johansson soars onto the Great White Way in the superb revival of Arthur Miller’s 1955 drama, playing opposite titanic Liev Schreiber. He’s Eddie Carbone, the doomed Italian-American longshoreman who informs on two illegal Sicilian immigrants (Corey Stoll, Morgan Spector), relatives he had been temporarily sheltering in his home, in order to stop one, the handsome Rodolpho, of them from marrying his wife Beatrice’s (Jessica Hecht) orphaned 17 year-old niece, Catherine, whom they’ve raised since childhood. That’s Scarlett. She’s the awkward yet self-possessed young woman who unnerves Eddie in a semi-incestuous way by growing up.
“That guy ain’t right,” Eddie keeps repeating, referring to Rodolpho’s sexuality, projecting his own impotence and guilt.
Breaking moral and family codes by his denunciation, Eddie loses not only his self-respect but also his place in the community – and, therein, lies the tragedy, as delineated by Alfieri (Michael Cristofer), the troubled lawyer who serves as a sort of narrator/Greek chorus, trying to steer Eddie off his disastrous course of betrayal.
Who would have thought that Arthur Miller would provide two Hollywood actresses with legitimate theatrical transitions in subsequent seasons? Last year, it was Katie Holmes who shined in a supporting role in “All My Sons.” Now, it’s Scarlett, center-stage, with Liev Schreiber, whose dominating performance is subtly tinged with guilt. (An aside, the late Brittany Murphy played the same ingénue role during a 1997 Broadway revival with Anthony LaPaglia.)
Impeccably directed by Gregory Mosher with a creaky, imposing Brooklyn waterfront set by John Lee Beatty and Peter Kazorowski’s brooding lighting, “A View From the Bridge” is scheduled to play through April 4th although the producers are hoping to extend the run after Johansson fulfills her publicity commitments for “Iron Man 2.”