THEATER REVIEW: The Crucible is given a powerful production at Barrington Stage Company
Theater
The Crucible
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Julianne Boyd
(Mainstage, Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, Mass., $15-$35)
A Barrington Stage Company production of a play in two acts
Christopher Innvar as John Proctor
Kim Stauffer as Elizabeth Proctor
Jessica Griffin as Abigail Williams
Robert Zukerman as Deputy Governor Danforth
Fletcher McTaggart as Reverend John Hale
Peter Samuel as Reverend Parris
Edward Cating as Judge Hathorne
Gordon Stanley as Giles Corey
Rosalind Cramer as Rebecca Nurs
e/Sarah Good
e/Sarah Good
Jeffrey Kent as Thomas Putnam
Glen Barrett as Francis Nurse
Matt Neely as Ezekiel Cheever
Betsy Hogg as Mary Warren
Starla Benford as Tituba
Peggy Pharr Wilson as Ann Putnam
Maggie Donnelly as Mercy Lewis
Caroline Mack as Betty Parris
Gabrielle Smachetti as Susanna Walcott
Reviewed by Lesley Ann Beck
[PITTSFIELD, Mass.] The Salem witch trials are being played out in Pittsfield in Julianne Boyd’s deeply affecting production of The Crucible, at Barrington Stage through October 24. This production, with an exceptional ensemble cast, masterfully directed by Boyd, reminds us of the essential importance of this drama, and why it has become such an unassailable American classic.
The play begins with the chilling cadence of midnight spells, female voices rising and falling in the dark woods, in a traditional call and response. And then we see the distraught Reverend Parris, kneeling beside the bed of his stricken daughter, demanding an explanation from his niece, Abigail Williams. Parris (well-played by Peter Samuel) has caught the teenage girls of Salem dancing at midnight around a bonfire, and before there is talk of witchcraft, he wants to quell the rumors and save his job as minister to the town.
But Parris is too late and intimations of witchcraft have already spread from house to house, as gossip will do in a small, close-knit community like the Salem of 1692.
First produced in 1953, The Crucible is the most-performed play by Pulitzer Prize-winner Arthur Miller, who used the tragic events of 1692 Salem as an allegory for Senator Joseph McCarthy’s hunt for Communism in the 1950s. But Miller’s well-crafted play works, with or without political ties, either to the 1950s or to today.
The members of the Salem community start to gather at the Parris home: Ann Putnam (played poignantly by Peggy Pharr Wilson) and her intractable husband Thomas (a stalwart Jeff Kent) report that their daughter, too, has been affected. Jessica Griffin gives an excellent portrayal of Abigail Williams, a sly and opportunistic girl who becomes the ringleader for the teens, who begin to accuse others in the community of being witches to deflect punishment for their midnight dancing.
At the center of the drama, Christopher Innvar is superb in the role of John Proctor, a Salem farmer who, as the former employer of Abigail Williams, strives to persuade the townspeople that she is a fraud. Innvar’s Proctor is a flawed man who is innately good, and compelled to speak the truth. His performance is riveting, shifting from impatience, to anger, to despair, and finally, to heroism. Kim Stauffer plays his wife, Elizabeth Proctor; she looks fragile but displays a heartbreaking inner strength as she and her husband have to make a crucial and agonizing decision
As director, Boyd has created a beautifully balanced, well-paced piece of theater, with marvelous performances from every member of her large cast.
Among the men who make up the court, Robert Zukerman gives a splendid, commanding performance as Deputy Governor Danforth, taking charge of the whole unfortunate proceedings, and Fletcher McTaggert is compelling as the passionate Reverend John Hale, an expert in witchcraft, who first operates with complete confidence and then begins to realize that the court is being manipulated.
Among the townspeople, Rosalind Cramer gives a strong and moving performance as Rebecca Nurse, who offers a voice of reason, to no avail; she is well-matched by Glenn Barrett as Francis Nurse. Gordon Stanley brings a glimmer of humor and then great courage to the valiant Giles Corey. Starla Benford as Tituba has marvelous presence and dignity, and the chorus of bewitched girls is persuasive in its dangerous accusations. Betsy Hogg delivers a very fine turn as Mary Warren, the one girl who tries to break with the group and make things right.
The events play out on a spare set, interiors defined by just the beams of a timber-frame structure with a wintry New England horizon always visible in the background. Well-chosen and historically accurate costumes give the play just the right sense of time and place; and the use of hymns, sung by the cast backstage, between the acts is very effective.
In every era, fear, whether of witchcraft, or communism, or terrorism, can be a powerful force, a divisive force. The Crucible, and especially this excellent production, reminds us that we are all susceptible. This is extraordinary, important, and timely theater.
Scene design by David Barber; costume design by Kristina Sneshkoff; lighting design by Scott Pinkney; sound design by Brad Berridge; production stage manager is Renee Lutz
(Through October 24; running time is two hours, forty-five minutes with one intermission; for tickets, visit www.barringtonstageco.org)
Lesley Ann Beck is the managing editor of Berkshire Living magazine. She reviews theater and the arts for www.berkshireliving.com.
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