(Photo credit: Old Vic.) I've seen a lot of plays - many live, some in movie theaters, especially at the Coolidge Corner cinema. I love theater. I like to think I know what makes a play memorable and perhaps have a bit more discernment than most when it comes to evaluating a production. I've seen some remarkable live theater, such as Death of a Salesman with the late Philip Seymour Hoffmann on Broadway. Yet, nothing prepared me for the sheer, stunning magnificence of the Old Vic production of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", which I've seen thanks to Digital Theatre. (I can never be grateful enough for the performing arts productions they've made available to people like me around the world!)
It is a tough play to watch, because of course Miller's play isn't really about the Witches of Salem but about McCarthyism and jealous, vengeful or simply clueless denunciations wrapped in the aura of saintliness and good citizenship. Rumors. Girls who want to detract attention from a tiny little thing they did and one who wants revenge. People who convince themselves that the lies of those girls are the truth and soon have too much at stake to accept they've been manipulated. The inexorable progression of the play toward the destruction of its hero, John Proctor, played brilliantly by Richard Armitage.
Even now, "The Crucible" remains chilling - and the Old Vic production unleashes the full force of the play with extraordinary acting, breathtaking visuals (lots of black and grey with a touch of light/fire, gorgeous contrasts) and extraordinary acting. After watching it online, I don't even know if I'll bother seeing it live again. Nothing can possibly beat the Old Vic production. I saw the play live once performed by the Lehigh University Department of Theatre and the students were very good, but of course the Old Vic is in a category of its own. The Crucible makes you think about people lie to each other today and identify "witches" to go after in an attempt to hide their real actions, or simply settle a score. The play remains as timely today as it was decades ago. If you're a subscriber to the New Yorker, you can read Arthur Miller's 1996 article on why he wrote The Crucible here. Enjoy.
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