REVIEW: A View From the Bridge, Bolton Octagon

With this revival of Arthur Miller’s classic, the Octagon has struck gold. It is powerful, poignant and at times heartbreaking.

There is some serious acting going on here transforming what could be seen as something of a history piece into a compelling and moving work which is as relevant today as it has ever been.

Jonathan Slinger plays Eddie Carbone, a man who can’t keep his demons in check with ultimately tragic consequences.

It would be all too easy for Eddie to become a caricature but in Slinger’s skilled hands he is all too human. He rages against a changing world into which he feels he doesn’t fit; he crumbles into almost childlike frailty. Just as we start to hate him we suddenly feel sorry for him.

Read also: Jonathan Slinger on bringing Eddie Carbone to the stage

It’s a great performance but it’s one of many great performances being offered up by a great cast.

Eddie is a longshoreman living in Red Hook - a giant red neon sign is a constant reminder.

Life is hard but he and his wife Beatrice and his niece Catherine get by. At 17 Catherine is no longer Eddie’s little girl but his feelings for her grow more complex.

The Carbones give a home to two cousins who arrive illegally from Sicily throwing what was already a tense family dynamic into meltdown.

Every single character is totally believable and a special word for all the convincing accents. Bolton became Brooklyn overnight!

Kirsty Bushell as Beatrice, Rachelle Diedericks as Catherine and Luke Newberry and Tommy Sim’aan as Rudolpho and Marco were all so strong and praise too for Nancy Crane as Alferi, our narrator and witness to the drama.

It’s a tough, human story beautifully told. Until Saturday, September 30. Details from www.octagonbolton.co.uk