A View From the Bridge Tickets

The moments in life need continuous revisions. We need to keep watering our moods with different shades of entertainment. Perhaps it is the performing arts that do the best in relating to our basic instincts with their subtleties. Whether it is a theatrical performance like a play, a musical, a music event, a contemporary circus act or a mega budgeted film, they contain all the ingredients to liven up your souls leading you to a fantasy world where you experience the same sentiments. It is just like when you read a tragic love story and the different events portrayed connect to you as if it were you who had undergone all that has been narrated therein.

Written by American playwright Arthur Miller, View from the Bridge is a play that was first presented on Broadway in September 1955. The other play that was on live at the same time was A Memory of Two Mondays. Initially, View from the Bridge was formulated as a one-act verse drama but just a year later it was converted into a two-act version which is still being shown today. The story of the play is rooted in an Italian locality from the 1950s America under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

The plot revolves around an Italian American longshoreman, Eddie Carbone, who lives with two people, his wife and his orphaned niece. The locality in which they live is quite desolate and called "polis". Initially, Eddie has a parental attitude towards Catherine but later on his feelings transform into something just than avuncular. When two cousins of Beatrice, Rodolpho and Marco arrive from Italy illegally in their quest for a better living, the story takes on a dynamic twist. Rodolpho, one of the cousins is good-looking, single and blonde, and he dances, sings besides being attractive. Catherine takes an instant liking to him.Eddie does not deem Rodolpho as a good person and tries to paint a negative picture of him in front of Catherine. He endeavors to highlight Rodolpho's effeminate attributes such as cooking, singing and dress-making in order to support his viewpoint. In spite of all that, Catherine aspires to marry Rodolpho. Eddie goes frantic and seeks his lawyer help who tells him that the only way he could succeed is to bring to notice of the authorities about the presence of the two illegal immigrants. However, he does not proceed with it as he has asserted earlier about giving refuge to the two men. Soon afterwards, Eddie finds Rodolpho making love to Catherine and he loses his vow immediately informing the Immigration Bureau. This makes Eddie loses his respect in the eyes of his family, his friends and his neighbors. The finale has the most impact. There is a showdown between Marco and Eddie. Marco shouts Eddie's name who takes out a knife thus attacking Marco. Marco is easily the stronger person and he overpowers Eddie, stabbing him to death with his own knife.

Arthur Miller got interested to write about the world of the New York docks with regards to an unproduced screenplay that he conceived in the early 1950s with Elia Kazan. It was titled The Hook, and dealt with corruption on the Brooklyn docks. The theme of the A View from the Bridge has actually been drawn from a true story that was narrated to Miller by a longshoreman. The 1955 one-act play was not very successful and therefore it was transformed into a more traditional prose play in two acts which the audience today still appreciates.

A View from the bridge was presented on Broadway at the Coronet Theatre running for 149 performances. It was initially directed by Martin Ritt with Van Heflin as Eddie and Eileen Heckart as Beatrice. In 1965, Dustin Hoffman lent services as the stage manager and assistant director for a successful production in New York City. It was then speculated that Hoffman would rise as a star. However Miller seriously undermined Hoffman since he was averse to his big nose. The London production was first performed at the Comedy Theatre in October 1956. The Ambassador Theatre performance had Tony Lo Bianco as Eddie running for 149 performances. The National Cottesloe Theatre, London showcased the play in 1987 with Michael Gambon as Eddie. Then the Criterion Center Stage Right was the stage in December 1997 afterwards switching to the Neil Simon Theatre where the play was shown for 239 performances.

A view from the bridge is not just a play. It is a heart-rending saga of love, jealousy, passion, honor and loss. Do not delay and seize A view from the bridge Tickets!