On the Waterfront Review.
On the waterfront was originally a film written by Budd Schulberg and directed by Elia Kazan in 1954. Set around the docklands of New York it reflects on the cruel and unfair lives of the Longshoremen (the workers that load and unload the ships) and it shows how these longshoremen struggled to make ends meet as jobs were not always guaranteed as the docklands were mob run.
The staging of the play was always going to hard work with the shadow of the eightfold Oscar award winning film hanging over the Director and Actors, but I think they achieved it using a minimalistic effect using only a dozen actors and a few chairs to set the scene. Even the pigeons were created using movement and music. Some parts of the play are a mix of slow and fast motion layers and flashbacks instead of just the normal rhythm of life. Music plays a massive part in On the Waterfront as it helps to set a mood and helps move ‘reality’ into ‘hyper-reality’.
You could look at On the Waterfront as a historical account about the mob violence in New York but its message is still important in today’s society. When someone you love does something that is wrong do you keep D ‘n’ D (Deaf and Dumb) and have that you know the truth on your conscience or do you ‘do the right thing’ and become a snitch and have a clear conscience?
Overall I think On the Waterfront is a unique play with its minimalistic effects and Themes that are still relevant today. Steven Berkoff and his Assistant Director Matt Cullum and Their Team of Actors, Set, Costume and Lighting Designers have successfully proven that On the Waterfront doesn’t have to just stay on the big screen it can be took to the stage and still be Iconic and Original.
Harriet Sewell
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A man knowing not what he is in fo’,
A brother looks out for the man below,
A girl that has lost a brother - the woe
Fights for what is right and thinks she should know,
A priest finding these things can now transform,
The choice is his ’to snitch or not to snitch’
Friends are mislead although new loves can form,
The girl with braces can make a fresh switch,
A story of love and hate and change and
Emotion and righteousness will be plain,
With brothers and mobsters with their own land,
Leading to an endless tattle tale lane,
The tale ending with bravery and strength,
Of the man below battling with length.
Jasmine Gill
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‘ON THE WATERFRONT’
Nottingham Playhouse
The very first theatre production of ‘On the Waterfront’ was directed by the legendary Berkoff and was a fantastic success. Hughes’s set design fascinatingly captured the brutal, yet realistic, world of the play with its city silhouette and Hawk flying not so high above. The Hawk seemed to dominate the set like the ‘big man’ Johnny Friendly dominates the ‘little men’; A consistent theme throughout the play.
It is difficult for fans of the renowned American classic to come to terms with a stage production. For decades it has been an untouchable script for the theatre because its place has been in the cinema. Nevertheless Schulberg’s stage adaption, together with Berkoff’s direction, pulled off a piece of theatre that ‘On the Waterfront’ fans could be proud of.
The use of a huge ensemble cast meant that great dramatic devises were created for emphasis on certain points in the play. A group of pigeons were created by grown men, as was a car which was created only by the voices of men. These devises greatly added to the play. Similarly, the use of slow motion created an almost cinematic feel to relate back to the 1950s phenomenon of a film. The monochrome set also created this cinematic, 1950s feel. Sticking this close to the film was a great idea because the audience did not feel like they were watching an entirely different thing.
Props were very minimal except for the actors’ use of newspapers. This meant that that mime was unavoidable and resulted in a much more fulfilling piece of theatre. Without the luxury of props actors were forced to created their own world, in a much more imaginative way, which made the audience do the same. Rather than being given a world to believe in, we created our own. For the fans of the film they could recreate what they saw at the cinema. The play did not ruin what they already knew by adding knew scenery or props.
‘On the Waterfront’ was overall a fascinating performance full of physical and visual actions throughout. There is always something new happening which grips the attention of every member of the audience. It is a production which is packed with great dramatic devices to impress all.
Laura Rudolph
