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The Guardian
Financial Times
The Times
…anybody who hasn’t seen Marlon Brando in Elia Kazan’s screen version of On the Waterfront should plug that gap. But there are plenty of people who won’t follow my advice … and for them Steven Berkoff’s adaptation of Budd Schulberg’s screenplay should prove an exhilaratingly alive substitute.
… The mythic sense is bolstered by the surreal, almost balletic effects that Berkoff, that master of physical bravura, has so often embraced during his career. Sometimes this merely means slow-motion walking, as if characters were spacemen on the Moon or divers on the seabed. Sometimes it consists of stylised flurries of movement, or moments of mime, or simple standing in straight lines. This not only adds gravity to the proceedings but becomes an imaginative substitute for what a 12-person cast can’t achieve: the crowds at the dock gates, the fights, the elaborate "accidents" in which men are pushed off a roof or crushed by falling cargo.
But Berkoff never loses touch with graphic reality. The Euripidean-style clutch or chorus of workers suddenly become mobsters slouched over the racing pages. And there are fine performances: a vast, seethingly angry Sam Douglas as the villain played by Lee J. Cobb in the film; Vincenzo Nicoli as the priest who, in a ringingly eloquent passage, sees the crucified Christ in the faces of the abused workers; and, especially, Simon Merrells as Terry.
… I’m not pushing Merrells as the next Marlon. But not only can he slouch, slurp, even skip like the boxer that Terry once was: he can subtly express the bafflement and pain of a man who unwillingly, unpretentiously evolves from an antihero into a hero. He’s quite a find.
Benedict Nightingale, The Times
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Steven Berkoff and I aren’t exactly best mates. … But down these mean streets a theatre critic must go.
In fact, I didn’t see Berkoff at all, which turned out to be rather a shame; for, had I spotted him on the way out, I would have plucked up the courage to shake him warmly by the hand.
This is a terrific production - exhilarating, moving and with real directorial vision and panache about it.
Tricks I’ve found tiresome in Berkoff’s work in the past - most notably artful tableaux of actors, slow-motion sequences, and the repeated use of mime - somehow work here, creating a coherent visual language that seems like the theatrical equivalent of the seedy glamour and artifice of Elia Kazan’s movie.
And unlike Nunn’s pedestrian Gone with the Wind, you are never in any doubt that Berkoff is staging this old movie because he passionately cares about it.
… the film is tremendously powerful, and this stage version packs a similar punch.
Berkoff’s production does it proud with thrilling dramatic confrontations, stylised slo-mo fight sequences, and sharp delivery of that addictive, endlessly quotable dialogue ("I coulda been a contender").
… Berkoff has also assembled a crack company whose members really do look like wizened dockers and camelhair-coated mobsters, and there’s an evocative score of Fifties jazz, rhythm and blues and early rock and roll.
… The Method-style acting is outstanding. While not offering a slavish imitation, Simon Merrell’s mixture of aggression, bruised vulnerability and sullen beauty can stand comparison with Brando’s in the film.
Coral Beed has just the right rage, decency and sexiness as his girlfriend; Vincenzo Nicoli has the required tough goodness as the crusading Catholic priest, while Sam Douglas is terrifying as the obese chief mobster. He’s even scarier than Berkoff himself, and that’s saying something.
A West End transfer must surely be on the cards.
Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph
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… oppressive atmosphere … conveyed by looming silhouettes
… Berkoff’s handling of the material scores high on moral clarity, stylised action and contemporary relevance … undeniable grip
Wayne Burrows, Metro
PROVIDED you can stomach Steven Berkoff’s tricksy direction … there are things to admire in this first British stage production of On the Waterfront.
It was certainly good to see the Nottingham Playhouse filled with so many youthful faces.
It’s a strong story. Terry is helped towards the path of righteousness by a priest (here played by Vincenzo Nicoli), who has a central speech about the Christian fight agaisnt injustice. Mr Nicoli delivers it well.
…there is a great scene where actors play the racing pigeons in Terry’s loft …gold.
Quentin Letts, Daily Mail
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… brought vividly to life…
… a brilliant blend of drama, suspense and humour that hooked the audience …
… deserves plenty of accolades …
Sharon Hodkin, Newark Advertiser
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… Steven Berkoff says dodging the shadow of Elia Kazan’s magnificent movie is a tough test ... It is a test Berkoff passes, no question, for his ensemble approach to the stage text … makes this a very different piece from Kazan’s star-studded flick.
The troupe seems effortlessly to change identities from New Jersey longshoremen … to union mobsters, their set pieces invested with trademark Berkovian physicality. In a delightful scene, they even get to play a coop full of cooing racing pigeons.
It isn’t subtle, but subtlety isn’t needed in this simple, powerful account of the forces that turn a self-styled bum into a courageous avenger.
… Simon Merrells convinces as the loose-limbed, gum-chewing Terry Malloy … and Coral Beed cracks the tricky role of girlfriend Edie, combining mental toughness with a melting heart.
Sam Douglas makes a truly loathsome Johnny while Robin Kingsland cuts a pathetic figure as his tragic gopher-in-chief, Terry’s dapper elder brother Charley.
But it’s the teamwork that remains in the mind’s eye … especially the terrifying spot-lit scene in which the mobsters beat Terry to a pulp.
Another top show in a strong Playhouse season.
Jeremy Lewis, Nottingham Evening Post
Berkoff’s undisputed win
Nottingham Evening Post
trademark Berkovian physicality
Nottingham Evening Post
A simple, powerful account
Nottingham Evening Post
Simon Merrells convinces
Nottingham Evening Post
Coral Beed: combines mental toughness with a melting heart
Nottingham Evening Post
Another top show in a strong Playhouse season
Nottingham Evening Post
Sam Douglas:
truly loathsome
Nottingham Evening Post
highly entertaining
NG Magazine
Brave stuff indeed
NG Magazine
surreal, almost balletic effects
The Times
Berkoff, that master of physical bravura
The Times
artful tableaux
of actors
The Telegraph
A West End transfer must surely be on the cards
The Telegraph
good to see Nottingham Playhouse filled with so many youthful faces
The Daily Mail
Vincenzo Nicoli: delivers the central speech well
Daily Mail
gold
Daily Mail
exhilaratingly alive
The Times
fine performances
The Times
Simon Merrells:
quite a find
The Times
a terrific production Daily Telegraph
exhilarating, moving and with real directorial vision and panache
Daily Telegraph
packs a punch
Daily Telegraph
thrilling dramatic confrontations, stylised slo-mo fight sequences,
and sharp delivery of that addictive, endlessly quotable dialogue
Daily Telegraph
a crack company
Daily Telegraph
Merrell’s mixture of aggression, bruised vulnerability and sullen beauty can stand comparison
with Brando’s
Daily Telegraph
Coral Beed: just the
right rage, decency and sexiness
Daily Telegraph
Vincenzo Nicoli: the required tough goodness
Daily Telegraph
scores high on moral clarity, stylised action and contemporary relevance
Metro
undeniable grip
Metro
a brilliant blend of drama, suspense and humour
Newark Advertiser
deserves plenty of accolades
Newark Advertiser
breath-catching
The Stage
extraordinary power
The Stage
Steven Berkoff’s
Flawless production
The Stage
The Guardian
bold, stylised expressionism
sheer power
Financial Times
passionate belief
Financial Times
Move over, Marlon
The Observer
hyper-precise movements
The Observer
extraordinary
piece of theatre
The Observer
It’s well
worth a ticket
Theatreworld
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