Weekend reVIEW

Another weekend is in the books, and this one had a different cultural flair. As usual, we went out to dinner -- this time to Jewel of India on the University of Minnesota's West Bank. The food far surpassed the cheap prices (you can't complain when you get dinner for two for a mere $26), and I'd definitely return. We had our typical Indian restaurant choices: vegetable samosas, wheat naan and two different entrees -- some sort of cauliflower-spinach-potato mix, as well as a chicken in a rich and nicely-seasoned sauce. I left satisfied, and the food seemed to swell within my stomach as the night wore on, so I was satisfied -- along with downright parched due to the sodium -- for many hours following dinner!

The thirst was a bit of a distraction at first, but I soon forgot about it at our next event: a showing of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge at the Guthrie Theater. My aunt gave me a gift certificate last Christmas for the Guthrie and I spent many months wondering what I'd use it on. I'm glad I waited -- the play was truly riveting, entertaining and thought-provoking.

Set in the late 1940s/early 50s (hard to tell exactly when), the play is a true, modern-day Greek tragedy. The "bridge" in the title is the Brooklyn Bridge, and the play examines the story of a unique family situation in Brooklyn: a woman and her husband have raised the woman's late sister's daughter(her niece) since childhood, and the daughter, now 18, is on the brink of branching out on her own. This in itself brings the inevitable struggles, but throw in an additional element: the woman's two male cousins have come to Brooklyn as illegal immigrants, seeking to work and earn money -- something they're unable to do in their home country of Sicily.

The full house leads to expected tensions and interesting situations, including the men's venture into American culture, but most notably the budding romance between the niece and one of the men. This romance is the straw that breaks the camel's back in the niece's descent into independence -- she's ready to move out and marry and discover life on her own. There's just one problem: her uncle can't let go -- almost to the point of going insane. And the underlying reason for not being able to let go are his inappropriate feelings for his niece that grow apparent to everyone, most noticeably his wife, except for him.

The play's themes -- including lust, betrayal, immigration and what it means to live in this country, women's independence -- could have well been pulled from present day politics, it seems. That's what makes it such an entertaining work: the themes transcend time and tell a story with a cyclical familiarity. We know it won't end well, but it's extremely compelling watching everything unfold. Add to this a very dynamic cast -- these are true professionals -- and you have a captivating evening.

I might have even cried at the end (I'm a bit of a softie) if it weren't for the man and woman with their adult children sitting behind us. Apparently nonstop yammering and thinking out loud runs in the family, because both generations were very vocal throughout the show, making comments like "Oh no!", "What did she say?" "Are you serious?" and "Look, he's still breathing," when a character dies in the end [It's a play; use your imagination!]. The talking kind of kept me from getting truly engrossed, but overall the power of the play was too strong to be completely ruined by some annoying talkers behind us. A wonderful night overall!