'Bridges': passion, intrigue

By Kristina Chiapella

This weekend, Santa Clara students will perform "A View from the Bridge," a play written by Arthur Miller that explores a tragic tale of Italian immigrants and resonates with current themes of immigration, homophobia and possessive love.

Set in 1950s Brooklyn, Eddie Carbone is an Italian-American whose love for his niece turns destructive when one of the illegal Italian immigrants he has promised to shelter falls in love with her.

Director Fred Tollini, S.J., said that while students at Santa Clara hear a lot about the idea of social justice, "A View from the Bridge" involves those ideas and will hopefully touch the audience closer to home.

"It seems to me the play would speak most to the student body here about achieving their own identity and freedom," Tollini said. He compared Miller's themes of universal tragedy to those of Sophocles, a playwright who also focused on the individual, fate and human flaws.

With a cast of 15 student actors and a stage management crew of three students, the play features strong characters and a story that relates to issues today.

Despite the fact that its original themes are five decades old, the play's focus on minority groups and controlling parent-child relationships remain important.

Senior Adrian Valente plays the complex and tragic protagonist, Eddie Carbone. "Eddie is truly one of the most difficult characters I've ever played," Valente said. "He's a big, inarticulate, loveable, ignorant, father-like figure. He's also stubborn, has a bad temper and is often blinded by his own personal agendas."

Senior Angela Schiavone plays Catherine, the object of Eddie's possessive love.

"These are real characters. They're three-dimensional and have multiple layers. Issues and emotions are not black and white with them," Schiavone said, explaining how Catherine goes through stages from innocence to falling in love, from defiance to maturity, to ultimately being shattered. "That's a big development to portray to an audience," Schiavone said.

When Eddie is unfair to Catherine and her aunt Beatrice, played by senior Ariana Khan, Schiavone said it reminded her of her own family. "Ariana and I especially had fun throwing in our 'silent conversations' when Eddie is being unfair," Schiavone said. "My mom and I do that, so I guess that's where that bit came from."

"It's a phenomenal script; you just can't go wrong with an Arthur Miller play," said Valente of the show. "Everyone, no matter what kind of background they come from, will be able to relate to at least one aspect of this play. The themes, emotions and situations are universally relatable."

Tollini agreed that most audience members, no matter what heritage, should be able to connect with the characters.

"I hope they are moved by the students," Tollini said. "I hope it awakens in them compassion and an awareness of human relationships and the issues of immigration today. I hope they can identify with the characters and that the play speaks to them."

Arthur Miller's plays were often inspired by his life, which involved a marriage to Marilyn Monroe and being blacklisted during the communist paranoia of the 1950s.

"A View from the Bridge" mirrors the political issues of that time, and the feelings of shame, suspicion and betrayal that accompanied it.

For a while, Tollini said, Miller's works, which include "The Crucible" and "Death of a Salesman," were forbidden in the United States. This weekend, Santa Clara students have the opportunity to experience an American classic.

The play will be performed March 2 to 4 and 7 to 10 in Mayer Theatre at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Contact Kristina Chiapella at (408) 551-1918 or kchiapella@scu.edu.