@ King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 2 May

Arthur Miller’s dark tale of a family’s plight for the American dream has recently found success with the National Theatre’s London production, starring Mark Strong. It had a successful transfer to the cinema this past month with another delightful Live performance placed on the big screens across the UK. So you may be forgiven to think this production from Touring Consortium Theatre Company, starring old timers Michael Brandon and Jonathan Guy Lewis, is rather walking in the shadows of the NT’s success. Any thoughts along these lines, however, are thankfully instantly washed away as we are taken on an unforgettable powerhouse of a theatrical experience that will have you discussing its merits for days afterwards.

Set in Brooklyn during the ‘50s, the play follows Eddie Carbone as he works the docks of the waterfront, making his earnings to care for his loving wife and the niece over whom they have taken guardianship. Making their way illegally across the waters come his wife’s cousins from Italy who plan to make money in America whilst sharing occupation in the Carbone household. It’s perhaps a familiar tale of immigration and the working man but when it’s an Arthur Miller production it’s guaranteed to be a thematically dense and rich allegory. The best tragedies have you rooting for a happy outcome even though you know that the inevitable is on its way; such is the case in this outstanding production.

This is a flawless ensemble piece, with each actor delving into the complexity of the characters. They cope well with the strong accents that could easily be caricatured but, thankfully, are colourfully yet convincingly handled here. Head of the charge is Guy Lewis as Carbone, an explosive performance that still finds the humanity that makes the character likeable despite his flaws. Meanwhile, Teresa Banham matches the rawness of his performance as Eddie’s wife Beatrice, and James Rastall has fun as the youthfully exuberant Rodolpho who causes much of Eddie’s grief. Matching the quality performances is the assured direction and handling of the text from director Stephen Unwin, and the lighting design by Paul Pyant impressively uses the space to bring a variety of settings to life, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the piece. Overall, this is a production that has all elements firing on all cylinders and coming up trumps, a perfectly flawless interpretation of Miller’s classic play.