Luke Traynor

PASSION, betrayal, jealousy, tragedy. Four classic human emotions that, within the hands of an able playwright, are the ingredients for a gripping drama.

Fortunately, Arthur Miller is such a playwright.

A View from the Bridge is set in the tough environs of 1950s New York during the austere years post Second World War.

Eddie Carbone and his family offer their small house to two Italian cousins, Marco and Rodolpho, after they enter the country illegally to find work on the docks.

But matters take a turn for the worse when Eddie's adopted niece Catherine falls in love with tall blonde Rodolpho that leaves her swarthy stepfather in the clutches of compulsive jealousy.

With little set to speak of, there are strong performances all round, most notably Stephen Marzella (Eddie) whose raging display perfectly encapsulates his inner torment. A sturdy and domineering presence, there's a definite roughhouse and modern day Sopranos charm to him.

Rosanna Lavelle pushes home her youthful naivety while Sharon Eckman gives a convincing display of the struggling wife battling for a place in her husband's wavering affections.

There are some dark sub-plots here, which are infuriatingly never fully resolved. Eddie launches a caustic homophobic attack on 'pretty boy' Rodolpho. And there are references made to Eddie's love for his niece, Catherine, which borders on more than just the paternal.

The prospect of tragedy looms large on the horizon at an early stage. Narrator/lawyer John Moraitis sees it coming but is powerless to stop it. Relentlessly watchable from start to finish.