There was much to talk about after the Friday night’s performance of The Crucible.
In an environment where most things can go wrong, in an environment where you have to be on your toes at any given moment, there was a lot that went right on Friday.
In many plays it is up to the director and his team to convey the look, the feel and the message to the audience. The Crucible director Patrick Cronin and his team did a fantastic job with the play. Everything from the costumes to the set, to the lights was perfect and done with brilliance.
The Crucible is a play about many journeys, many hunts if you will. There is the obvious witch-hunt that takes place in the play. Abigail Williams, played wonderfully by Becky Schaffer, and company get caught dancing in the woods and instead of coming clean with their actions, they throw the town into a frenzy by claiming they can see the devil and point out whose working for him.
It becomes academic from there. The play is also about John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth, played powerfully and gracefully by Rick McVey and Christy Vance, respectively, searching for truth and love that has long since left them because of John’s affair. The play can also be viewed as one that shows a battle between wild accusations and plain common sense.
Each and every actor in the play gave such powerful performances. Schaffer did a fabulous job playing the naive and controlling Abigail Williams. Her arrogance and childishness was played out very well. She does a good job getting the audience to hate the character of Abigail.
McVey played a powerful John Proctor. The struggle within John to prove to the townspeople that if they used common sense and they would see through Abigail and her games, was shown with powerful acting. McVey’s acting makes you feel John’s anger and hate toward Abigail and the courts.
Chris Williams does an enjoyable job playing the old and funny Giles Corey. He’s a lost man who doesn’t know why his wife reads books, and in the end gives up on everything. Erin Estep plays Mary Warren, one of the towns’ girls who Abigail has in the palm of her hand. C. Glen Williams play Rev. Hale, a man who believes in John and by the end of the play, doesn’t understand the way of the court.
My favorite character was James Andes’ portrayal of Danforth, the man who follows the law by its word. When Danforth was on stage, Andes made him stand out above the rest. His movements made his character the focus of the second half of the play. Andes brought life to a man bound by the law in every way.
I could go on and on – this was a fantastic cast, there’s no question about it.
The costumes were perfect for the setting. The distinct difference between common townfolk, religious members, court officials and even the difference between the old and young was painted perfectly. The common folk wore rather plain clothes, nothing too fancy.
The religious members and court officials wore fancy black “suits.” The hat worn by Giles Corey and Francis Nurse signified the old age in the play. The scarlet red worn by Abigail showed the danger she would cause in the play.
The lighting effects were also outstanding. The use of the gold-yellow light on Tituba as she proclaimed to be with the devil was a treat. The single spotlight on Betty Parris’ bed, as the whole scene takes place around that bed and focuses on her and the girls. The tint of blue used in the forest in the scene with John and Abigail.
The best use of lighting came in the last scene. An elaborate sequence of changes between greens, blues, reds, gold, white and finally, the use of a dark red, and John’s fate is sealed.
The audience experienced a magnificent and marvelous performance. Every actor from beginning to end put on a prime performance. The audience was mesmerized the play, and most people left talking about how angry they were with Abigail. The audience got a few laughs from Giles Corey comments and Danforth’s unexpected laugh at John’s comments on gold candles.
In an environment where things can go wrong, Friday night’s performance of The Crucible was perfect. The cast was marvelous. The set used few objects, which was fine because the play didn’t call for an elaborate set. The lighting effects used in the play helped convey a hidden message, a hidden danger.
The Crucible was a perfect play for its time in the 1950s with McCarthyism. It stands today because of the messages it brings with it; fingerpointing just to point, a struggle to re-kindle a love broken by a mistake, the owning of someone’s name and common sense vs. accusations.
The cast and direction of the play help bring to life these messages in a perfect performance.

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