The Bible tells
us, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn
not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven”. All the characters in Arthur Miller’s
“The Crucible” seem to break those rules to one degree or another, whether it
is judging each other or judging themselves.
“The Crucible” is a
fictional dramatization of circumstances surrounding the Massachusetts Bay
Colony Salem witch trials circa 1692. The
piece was intended as an allegory about McCarthyism and the merciless Congressional
inquiries that led to condemnation and blacklisting of alleged communists
living in the U.S. following WW II.
Miller himself is credited with having been questioned by McCarthy’s
House Committee on Un-American activities three years after “The Crucible” saw
its first staging.
The original
Broadway production of “The Crucible” premiered in 1953 and featured E.G.
Marshall, Beatrice Straight and Madeline Sherwood. The reviews for it were intensely
negative. Miller himself believed that
the production was a little too stylized and cold. Despite sparse attendance and bad reviews
from everybody but the New York Times, the production won a Tony award for best
play.
A different, more
popular production was mounted a year later and the play became a classic in
American Theatre literature.
The current
production of this massive opus from Otterbein University Department of Theatre
and Dance features a strong ensemble cast.
Compelling
performances from seniors Connor Allston as John Proctor and Maddy Loehr as his
wife Elizabeth provide this show with its heart and soul. Their passion, commitment, and strong
expressions in many emotions, take the audience on a roller coaster ride. Proctor’s lechery with the servant, Abigail
Williams (Asel Swango), leads to Abigail’s dismissal from the household. Abigail is a trouble-twisted personality
whose self-centered excesses cause her to lead several gullible young girls
into dancing, fake swooning and false accusations against family members,
neighbors and friends. Abigail mesmerizes her followers with her lies,
treacheries and deceit. Swango’s strong
performance mesmerizes the audience, as she becomes that character that we love
to hate.
Steven Meeker
(Reverend Samuel Parris), Evan Moore-Coll (Deputy Governor Danforth) and
Benjamin Folts (Reverend John Hale) pepper their performances with all flavors
of self-righteous, self-serving judgments.
Folts demonstrates many credible levels of characterization as we watch
his transitions from sanctimonious through wavering among options and finally
repenting and seeing the good in those that he would have condemned.
The whirlwinds of
emotional turmoil subside for a moment when Elizabeth and John say their tender
good-byes. This scene had me blinking
back tears. Then John faces down the tribunal and desperately pleads for his
life and his family’s good name.
A few comic relief
moments get sprinkled throughout the show in the person of Constable John
Willard (Sileye Ndongo) who drinks, stumbles and is mocked by the servant
Tituba (Kathryn Lee) and Sarah Good (Alissa Dellork).
Director Melissa
Lusher has done masterful work in providing all 20 characters with memorable
moments in this gripping saga. Her
emphasis on clear, crisp line delivery drives the action, giving the audience
little opportunity to breathe, though the running time stretches to 2 hours and
45 minutes with the intermission.
This piece was
obviously designed to be performed in a proscenium setting. Staging it in the campus center arena space
presents some interesting challenges.
Scenic designer Stephanie Gerckens’ platforms, ropes and symbols of
ropes achieve interesting levels, as does the delivery of key moments from the
aisles. Sparse set pieces, minimal
props and furnishings aid in maximizing space for actors to move. It seemed a powerful choice to have Governor
Danforth conduct trial interrogations from various positions on the aisle. I was seated in a location that allowed me to
see most of his movements, gestures and facial expressions. I would not be so complimentary had I been
seated in a location that obstructed my view, as was a third to a half of the
audience in various moments.
Julia Ferreri’s
costumes seem to capture the spirit of the Salem era, save for the breast
pocket streaks of red. I understand that
this was intended to carry through with the rope décor theme that dominated the
set, but people of that era would not have worn clothing with that kind of
decoration.
The lighting design
from T. J. Gerckens enhances the action, keeping the central characters in
focus, shades for background characters and character and haunting shadow for eerie moments.
While there is
nothing joyful about the themes and messages in “The Crucible” or in any of
Arthur Miller’s other works, his deft exploration of human psychology continues
to attract attention and acclaim. We are
magnetically drawn to the strengths and weaknesses of his characters.
Otterbein’s
current offering does a masterful job of delivering the power and punch of what
it means to become embroiled in the mindless reactiveness of an hysterical
mass-consciousness. It is a timeless
theme that is constantly replayed by non-thinking, overly emotional,
self-centered human beings, as evidenced by people’s attitudes and behaviors
toward the contemporary social, economic and political scene.
