30 years later, West Chicago actress and Chicago director revisit 'A View From the Bridge' at Shattered Globe
In hindsight, casting Eileen Niccolai as Beatrice Carbone in Shattered Globe Theatre's 1993 production of Arthur Miller's “A View From the Bridge” probably wasn't ideal.
“I was on the younger side for the part,” says the West Chicago actress, who admits at that time she lacked the maturity the role demanded. Of all the roles she's played, Beatrice — the devoted wife of longshoreman Eddie Carbone — was one she most wanted to revisit.
She has the chance to do so in Shattered Globe's revival, which opens the Chicago theater's 33rd season. The production reunites the Joseph Jefferson Award-winner with fellow Shattered Globe ensemble member Lou Contey, who helmed the theater's 1993 production.
“I'm beyond thrilled to do it again,” said Niccolai, whose emotional connection to the 1956 play about Italian immigrants in Red Hook, Brooklyn, is rooted in her own Italian immigrant family.
“Beatrice sacrifices a lot for her family,” she said. “That's something my mother and dad did with all their heart.”
Life experience has given Niccolai greater insight into characters struggling to reconcile Old World traditions with New World realities.
“I feel more grounded in general. I have a deeper understanding of those relationships,” said Niccolai, who by day serves as vice president of clinical operations for Thresholds, a community mental health organization assisting people dealing with mental illness and substance abuse.
Contey, who grew up in an Italian American neighborhood, also has a personal connection to “A View From the Bridge.” The revival marks his 40th anniversary as a director and his post-pandemic return to theater.
Miller's brand of American realism — stories about post-World War II American families struggling with the lies and myths they build around themselves — appeals to Contey.
“I was looking to revisit something important to me,” Contey said. “'A View From the Bridge' is about a universe I understand, a universe I came from.”
Like Niccolai, life experiences inform how he currently approaches the play, which differs from how he approached it 30 years ago.
“I'm a parent now,” he said. “I wasn't then. A lot of things changed in my life, in the world and in my perspective.”
With this production, Contey hopes to solve the riddle of why Eddie behaves the way he does. Eddie believes he's being replaced, Contey said. He believes the world is moving past him. Contey better comprehends that perspective now than he did when he was 32.
Deconstructing the play poses a challenge.
“I don't know if I will solve the problem,” he said. “That's the point. If you know everything, if you have no new ideas, you won't come up with an interesting production.”
This revival marks the first time in years the longtime colleagues and friends have collaborated.
“I've always loved working with him,” Niccolai said. “Lou directs as a painter. He gives you a lot of space, then sketches things in.”
“I always listen to her and she listens to me,” said Contey, adding that, if anything, Niccolai's understanding of the character has deepened.
“She's always been a little bit of Beatrice and a little bit of Eileen,” he added.
As for Niccolai, she hopes audiences will be touched by Miller's timeless tale of passion and betrayal. Done right, it will grab an audience and not let go, she said.
Now that's a reunion worth the wait.
<h3 class="briefHead">“A View From the Bridge” </h3>
When: Previews at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 8-9, and Monday, Sept. 11, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12. Performances are at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, through Oct. 21. No shows Sept. 14 and 15. Additional 3 p.m. show Oct. 21
Where: Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, (773) 975-8150, <a href="https://sgtheatre.org/">sgtheatre.org/</a>
Tickets: $10-$52