Anthony Stoeckert

THE full title of the play making its world premiere at the Heritage Center in Morrisville, Pa., is Roebling: The Story of the Brooklyn Bridge. The subtitle is exactly what t he play is about.

   Early on in this production from Actors’ NET of Bucks County, I thought John Roebling might be the story’s focal point before it appeared John’s son, Washington, would drive the story. By the time Emily Roebling, Washington’s wife, stared to take charge, it was clear that the bridge itself is the play’s most prominent character, leaving the story’s humans to stand in its shadow.

   That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but drama does take a back seat to history in this work by Mark L. Violi, who lives in Trenton, where the Roebling family owned a manufacturing plant and designed one of the world’s most famous bridges. The play has been performed twice in staged readings, but the Actors’ NET run marks its first fully staged performances.

   The story begins in 1869 as John Roebling meets with bureaucratic officials to share his design for a bridge connecting the cities of New York and Brooklyn. His plan involves caissons — watertight structures that allow workers to dig up to 110 feet underground to establish the bridge’s towers. A rival designer, Haldis Dickey, has another option, noting instances of decompression sickness (also known as caisson’s disease), which killed 16 men during a St. Louis project that used caissons. Dickey wants the bridge project to help his son, Nathaniel, raise his social stature and power.

   Roebling (played by James Cordingley) in a fine moment promises his bridge will be the strongest and most beautiful bridge in the world (as well as the longest and tallest). But obstacles build on one another — a fatal injury to John, the inevitable wave of caisson’s disease, including a debilitating case to Washington (who takes over the project after his father’s death), and a budget spiraling out of control.

   The play’s major strength is the way it weaves so many facts into a cohesive story. Violi does a terrific job of making technical jargon understandable.

   I do wish the play focused more on human conflict. It hints at themes like obsession, the difficulties in following a father’s legacy, and the cold realities of business, but doesn’t delve deeply into any of them.

   Chuck Donnelly plays Washington Roebling and has some good lines. Shortly after John’s death, Horatio Allen, the go-between for the Roeblings and the investors, brings up business. Everyone objects except for Washington. “It is always the occasion for investors to look after their money,” he tells his friends and wife.

   In another moment, Roebling laments that the bridge “has beaten my family, it’s beaten me.” He also has one of the play’s few laughs when he quotes a newspaper stating that the bridge has caused death, delays and overspending just so that New Yorkers can go to Brooklyn.

   Most of the performances are workmanlike, steady but not up to the usual standards in an Actors’ NET production. It’s a big cast (of 15) and a big story with lots of dialogue, a combination that offers many challenges.

   There are some standouts. Curtis Kaine as E.F. Farrington, the larger-as-life master mechanic, is a boisterous voice of reason who loves a drink (but, it’s important to note, never while working) card tricks, and the company of ladies.

   John Helmke brings a confident steadiness to the role of Charles C.C. Martin, and Lisa Yoskin gives one of the night’s best performances in a brief role as a woman with whom Farrington shares a few drinks and some flirting.

   Kyla Marie Mostello drives much of the story as Washington’s wife. Emily, who was educated before settling down for marriage, makes a key discovery about the sand laying at the bottom of the river. Emily’s is a fascinating story involving the status of women in this time period. It would appear she has an interesting marriage as well, as her husband places much responsibility and trust in her hand, even as it leads to snickers from the men’s club Emily deals with. Building the play around her could make for a compelling tale without losing any of the history.

   Director Cheryl Doyle keeps the narrative clear amidst the large cast and a lot of set changing. One awkward moment came when John suffers a serious foot injury, complete with fake blood, and needs to have two toes amputated. It’s staged fairly well, but it drew chuckles from the audience. The moment became more about how far things would go, thus losing the tension.

   Doyle also handles the set design, which features one nifty trick. A view through the window displays the East River and we see the bridge being built throughout the play. As I’ve said, the bridge is the star.

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  Roebling: The Story of the Brooklyn Bridge is at the Heritage Center, 635 N. Delmoorr Ave., Morrsville, Pa., through Oct. 11. Performances: Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20, $17 seniors, $10 children; 215-295-3694; www.actorsnetbucks.org