Dreamwell - Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge is striking show. Its fit as part of Dreamwell's “Taboo Bijou” season is a good one. The story told is one of Eddie Carbone and his
family who take in two illegal immigrant cousins from Italy. One is saving money to send home to his wife, and one instantly takes a liking to Eddie's niece whom he has raised from a childhood. Eddie is forced to face the idea that she is no longer a young girl, and his growing feelings towards her as a woman. Many of the issues raised during this show are powerful and thought provoking. Even though it was written in the 50's, it is still very relevant to today's society and issues we are facing everyday in this community and across the country.I started my theater career at a small liberal arts college in Iowa. Our theatre space was a small 150ish seat black box with sometimes as little as a foot of separation between actors and audience. Maybe this is why I have a fondness towards the intimacy provided at the Unitarian Universalist Society where Dreamwell performs its show. Granted, I did choose to put myself in the front row and anyone who finds themselves there will be inches from the actors. Dreamwell has never shied away from pulling their audience members right into the thick of the action and it is something I have always found effective there. With such limited space, there is always a need for creative staging and I enjoyed the set pieces on the floor. Director Krista Neumann made a great staging choice and it was easy to distinguish between the apartment, the street and the office of Lawyer Alfieri.
I also really enjoyed how, acting as both narrator and involved character, Alfieri, played by Demetrios Hadjis, was allowed to wander in and out of the scenes, commenting on or being part of the action. One of the only awkward blocking moments in the show, was when the immigration officers were stuck on stage, twiddling their thumbs until the lights faded. I'm not sure if this was an oversight, a instance of necessity (they were removing set pieces for the next scene), or an opening night timing issue.
On to the actors.
This is the second show I have seen Rip Russell perform in and I have yet to be disappointed in his commitment to his character. Eddie Carbone is both a simple and complicated man. Rip take the words on the page and turns them into a powerful depiction of one man's flaws, love, and conviction to his family. Kathy Maxey's Beatrice is a complex, devoted and conflicted woman. The emotions were there and you can tell she is right there in the moment. I enjoyed the way K Michael Moore was able to make himself burly and intimidating as Marco. Even if size wise he may actually be smaller than Rip, I never doubted his ability to physically dominate. Hadjis as Alfieri is the grounding member of the cast. He keeps the action centered and focused where it needs to be.
Aaron Brewer. I actually heard one of the audience members say “...could he be any cuter?” Rudolfo is a young illegal immigrant who instantly falls for the 18 year old niece of his cousin. It takes a lot of energy to go from singing and
dancing and to then switch gears completely for the show's more dramatic and emotional moments. I could see the connection between Aaron and Angelique who plays Catherine.Angelique VanDorpe's portrayal of Catherine was admirable. This is very much a coming of age story for Catherine and perhaps for Angelique as well. It is very clear they're both are saying “I'm not a young girl anymore, I am a woman who deserves to be taken seriously.” This show is, for a lack of a better word, very heavy stuff. Angelique has the experience and the tools necessary to handle it in a believable way and convey thoughts and emotion in her voice, her face and her connection to the other actors.
Music and lights both consciously and unconsciously set the tone of a show. While the UU doesn't offer a great variety of lighting options, the set and actors were still well lit. I enjoyed the house music, especially coming back from intermission. I sat down in my seat to “White Christmas” and was like”...um...okay... this is strange”, until I took a look at the set and saw the Christmas tree and garland. It was an obvious choice and the songs were chosen with purpose. Often I think productions fail to remember the impact that music can have on the audience.
Please take the time to attend Dreamwell's production of A View from the Bridge. They are a quickly growing company both in numbers and reputation. The Little Theatre that Could, perhaps, but their shows are nothing but ambitious. This cast deserved it's opening night standing ovation.
Rachel Brown has been a part of the Iowa City theatre community for three years. She graduated from Waldorf college with a BA in Theatre Arts, has acted in and directed shows for Iowa City Community Theatre and performed in shows with the now defunct Catalyst Acting Company as well as Red Door Ensemble and Washington Community Theatre.
