‘A View From the Bridge’ Is Haunting, Impassioned

If you think you’ve seen Arthur Miller’s dark classic “A View From the Bridge” enough times, think again. The muscular production that opened Thursday night at Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre is a stunning, imaginative theatrical experience, an impassioned interpretation that really brings the heat to Miller’s gripping drama. Imported from London’s Young Vic after winning three Olivier Awards, the streamlined, no-holds-barred presentation marks an explosive Broadway debut for renowned European director Ivo van Hove and his longtime design collaborator, Jan Versweyveld. Miller’s 1955 play about working-class Italian-Americans in Brooklyn was most recently revived on Broadway in 2010 with Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson. Now van Hove has stripped it down to a stark set that resembles a boxing ring. During nearly two tense hours without intermission, the barefoot cast members warily circle one another under bright lights, while a dissonant soundtrack increases the tension and unease.