By Juna R-E and Iona H, Year 10

On Thursday 13th of June, 30 lucky Year 10s travelled to the Haymarket Theatre to see Lindsay Posner’s sold out production of ‘A View From The Bridge’ starring BAFTA award-winning actor Dominic West as Eddie Carbone. Having studied the play in class we were excited to see how Posner and the cast would interpret it. We felt that this production brought out the humour in the play, something that is less obvious when reading aloud in lessons and an interesting juxtaposition with the darker aspects of the story. Posner (perhaps consciously contrasting with Ivo van Hove’s 2015 National Theatre production) stayed true to Arthur Miller’s stage directions in terms of the set design and props. We felt that this production foregrounded Eddie’s masculine pride (something Dominic West later spoke about when he visited the school) and West’s portrayal of Eddie Carbone presented him as an aggressive and jealous character whilst also skillfully managing to balance this with Eddie’s more lovable side. We particularly responded to the emotional final scene played brilliantly by West and his co-actors who dramatically brought out the tragic denouement. 

Having come back from the play buzzing, the following Monday we were lucky enough to have Dominic West himself in school speaking to Year 10 and Year 12 about his performance. Dr Klimt led a Q&A asking him many fascinating and probing questions starting with what inspired him to take the role. His answer was that it was partly a tribute to the late Michel Gambon who famously starred as Eddie Carbone in the late 1990s and whom West admired. All students found it fascinating to hear from the actor himself and understand the behind-the-scenes of the production. West’s insights gave us all a deeper understanding of the play which was fascinating and will definitely help us all with our upcoming coursework! After Dr Klimt’s interview, students had an opportunity to ask questions. There were many hands up and a huge range of questions such as ‘What do you believe Eddie’s fatal flaw was?’ West’s answers  gave us interesting insight into Eddie’s deeper emotions and how he envisions Eddie’s character and motives. There were also many questions on how they presented humour in the production including when they wanted laughs and when they were surprised by them. Dominic West’s visit gave everyone a deeper understanding of how the cast tried to create humour in Act I by drawing similarities between the play and the audience’s own lives. Then, in Act II, how they tried to draw out the darker aspects of the play, which was brilliantly achieved by West and the cast.

Overall, the visit from Dominic West was fascinating, giving us all an insight into the deeper emotions of Eddie and the production as a whole.