"The current production at Richmond Theatre may not be its greatest ever staging, but on balance is still worth seeing" says Richard Davies
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is amongst the most important plays of the 20th century, one that deserves to be regularly revived and which every young person should experience. The current production at Richmond Theatre may not be its greatest ever staging, but on balance is still worth seeing. In his programme note, Director Douglas Rintoul cites recent comments by Trump’s press secretary as evidence of the play’s continuing relevance. In fact, the play’s messages apply to any regime, left, right or centre that immolates the little man or woman in the name of ideology.
Set in late 17th century colonial Massachusetts, The Crucible is based on the true story of the Salem witch trials, when the hysterical accusations of a group of young girls, stoked by family feuds and extreme religious conservatism, resulted in the execution of 20 people, mostly women, on the charge of witchcraft. The only way to escape a death sentence was to confess to the charges and implicate others.
Arthur Miller wrote the play in the 1950s as a response to the “reds-in-the-bed” paranoia stirred up in the US by the right wing firebrand Senator Joe McCarthy, when Hollywood celebrities were amongst those dragged in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Miller himself was forced to testify, but heroically refused to “name names”, unlike many of his contemporaries.
At the heart of the story is John and Elizabeth “Goody” Proctor and their relationship with Abigail Williams, the leader of the young accusers. Abigail was once their servant, but was sent packing by Elizabeth after discovering that her husband had succumbed to his lustful feelings towards Abigail. (While Leona Allen who plays Abigail is clearly a young woman, it’s interesting to note that the real Abigail was only 11 years old!). When Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft, John is certain that this is an act of vengeance. He attempts to absolve his wife by admitting to his own “lechery”, confident that his wife will corroborate his evidence, because she is a woman who “cannot tell a lie”. But Elizabeth fails this early version of the “Mr and Mrs” gameshow by refusing to incriminate her own husband, thus sealing both their fates.
Victoria Yeates, known to some as Sister Winnifred in “Call the Midwife”, is excellent as the tragic Elizabeth Proctor, as is Jonathan Tafler who plays Judge Danforth, the prosecutor who ruthlessly forces the naïve witnesses to implicate themselves and their loved ones. Diana Yekinni also impresses as Tituba, the Paris family’s Barbadian slave girl whose knowledge of charms and potions was at the root of all the trouble.
My main difficulty with this production is that it lacks dramatic tension, particularly in the first half. This is largely because the actors speak way too fast. At slightly over two and a half hours running time, the production is a good half an hour shorter than a recent version at The Old Vic.
Accents are all over the place. Eoin Slattery, who is a native of Cork, plays John Proctor as a native of Cork, while Carl Patrick plays Thomas Putnam as Alan Bennett. Otherwise, the cast sound as if they are from either Guildford or Cornish tin miners from the set of Poldark.
I was disappointed also by the look of the production, which seems to have been done “on the cheap”. Many of the actors appear to have sourced their own costumes from a charity shop, with Reverend Paris dressed like a modern day vicar, Reverend Hale wearing a traditional frockcoat and Giles Corey resembling a scarecrow. While the stark, three-sided set forces you to concentrate on the action, there were times when it detracted from the impact, especially the final scene which could have be so much more climactic.
- The Crucible is at Richmond Theatre April 12-15 for tickets visit atgtickets.com
Check out Theatre/Arts Section for more great local thespian news, reviews and interviews
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on our latest articles
Sign up to our Weekly Newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and stories
Looking to advertise your business in Surrey or SW London? Check out our 11 different lifestyle magazines with a combined monthly distribution of over 210,000
