The Crucible

The Crucible ensemble. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible still has the power to spook theatregoers, almost 60 years after it premiered on Broadway in 1953. Set in Salem, Massachusetts during the famous witch trials, the play draws a connection between the frenzied allegations during that time in puritan New England (1692) and the Communist scares of the McCarthy era, in which Miller himself was convicted for refusing to name names.

Now playing at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Soulpepper’s latest production brings this classic story of betrayal and moral righteousness back to the stage for a modern audience. The Crucible centers around a fervently religious community, torn apart when a group of young girls claim to experience hallucinations and seizures attributed to some kind of contact with the devil. Fear takes hold, old grudges surface, and the once peaceful townspeople become hysterical, accusing their friends and neighbours with charges of witchcraft. Many are arrested and eventually hanged for their alleged sins.

Featuring authentic set and costume design by Lorenzo Savini, effective lighting by Steven Hawkins and ominous sound design by John Gzowski, the small devout town of Salem is made frighteningly real on stage. Director Albert Schultz gets first-rate performances out of the ensemble, with stand-out performances by Stewart Hughes as the noble John Proctor, Patricia Fagan as his honourable wife Elizabeth, and Hannah Miller as the treacherous Abigail Williams. This is a soulful production, well acted and expertly executed. Don’t miss it.

The Crucible runs until September 22 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. Visit Soulpepper.ca for more information and to buy tickets.

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