The Crucible Review

Last night I had the privilege to attend the Crucible at Dixie State College. I was immediately drawn in as the convention of music and lighting was used in a profound and emotional way even before the characters speak the first lines of the play. I don’t want to give anything away, but the first five minutes of the play are indeed a thrill! As the play unfolds that initial intensity, energy and high stakes remain as this fine young cast delivers Arthur Miller’s Masterpiece. The play was orchestrated well by director Michael Harding. There was an overall arch to the show and the play’s themes of intolerance, hysteria and reputation were well represented. As an audience member it is a frustrating piece of theater to observe. You grow to sympathize with the characters accused of witchcraft and when there is no mercy shown to them, it is heartbreaking. I can only imagine what it must have been like for those individuals accused of witchcraft in the real life cases of Salem, MA and then to have history repeat itself with the whole McCarthy era. I loved how Mr. Harding used the 18th Century Hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, throughout the play which speaks of “streams of mercy, never ceasing”, and yet there is none to be found in the hearts of the antagonistic community members and the judges who have the ultimate authority to condemn them. There were a couple of things that I wish Mr. Harding would have taken more time with. This show is very intense and has several shouting matches between characters. They are necessary, but I wanted to see some more 'levels' of intensity in those moments and some different tactics used by the characters to achieve their goals in lieu of resorting to shouting. Some of the scenes call for an all out shouted debate, but one like the scene between John and Elizabeth Proctor could have had more variety to show their deep rooted relationship. In intimate scenes like the scene with Abigail and John Proctor at Parris’ home I lost some of the lines as they would physically get close together. This happened with John and Elizabeth too as they would get physically close; that is the challenge in any intimate scene and space to keep it feeling intimate and soft, but in reality it as to be heightened so the audience can understand and hear them. The cast did such a great job. I felt they worked well as an ensemble and were for the most part engaged in the scenes. It is always a two edged sword when you have the audience so close. One of the down sides is if an actor is “scanning” the audience to see who is out there, the audience can see it. So, I will give a bit of advice, don’t scan. Keep focused on the scene and if you accidentally look at an audience member that is one thing, but please don’t scan. I have always been a fan of Scott Pederson since I saw him in As You Like It . He does not disappoint as Reverend Parris. He plays such a nice balance in the role that the audience can both dislike and like him simultaneously. Not an easy thing to. I was pleased to see Lindsay Cordell in the role of Abigail. Coming from an ingénue background myself it is always a triumph to see an actress given a chance outside of her normal realm and able to play an antagonist. Lindsay delivered. With her sweet face she is surely the wolf in sheep’ clothing. I just wanted to go up on stage and slap her, which is meant as a compliment. John and Ann Putnam played by Roger Dunbar and Kristina Kessler were spot on. They both have such a command of the stage and their motives are clear. They are two actors I never need worry about; they are always in the scene even as they stand in the congregation at the courtroom scene. Every time I glanced over they were right there and subtlety interacting with each other. It was so great to see Guy Smith as John Proctor. Guy is mostly cast in loud, over the top characters, so to see him play the understated, Proctor was a joy. I can tell that he worked on his physicality with the director. He was more natural in his movement and in his delivery. Guy had a nice chemistry and worked well with Melissa Erickson who played Elizabeth Proctor. They are visually a good match, both tall in stature and they connected emotionally well together. I wanted to see more stoicism from Melissa when the judge is talking to her about why she is not shedding a tear. It looked to me like she was crying. But, the rest of her performance was beautiful and that courtroom scene where she has to tell why Abby was discharged is one of the finest scenes in the show. The character of Reverend Hale is probably my favorite in the show, maybe because he is the most merciful, and he was played by the open faced, tender hearted Spencer Potter. I wanted Spencer to have a bit more command on his first entrance it seemed a bit rushed and we almost lost that awesome line about how the books are ‘weighted by authority’. I love how the ‘preacher’ comes out in the beginning and then by the middle of the play, Mr. Potter allows those walls to fall by playing Hale with no ulterior motives, complete sincerity and fighting to maintain a sense of order in the consuming chaos. Josh Scott plays the bold and gritty Giles Corey. I like it when actors make bold choices with characterization, but in Mr. Scott’s case I would caution him to be careful about being a more of a “caricature” than a realistic character who is bigger than life. It is not over the top yet, but keep him reigned in and play it honest. On the up side, Mr. Scott’s portrayal breathes life into this serious play and it is relief to have his character come on stage because you know you are in for some much needed laughs. The audience loves this character and when you find out his fate it affects us deeply. Trey Paterson as Danforth was brilliant. He has an amazing presence, speaking voice and a great command of the material. I was very pleased with his performance. Rebecca Wright’s performance as Mary Warren probably moved me more anything. I related with this poor child and wondered after the show was over if I would have done the same thing had I been in her shoes. Rebecca is a talented actress and this was a role that was so well suited for her I forgot I was watching ‘Rebecca’, she was Mary Warren; a lovely job, especially in that last courtroom scene. Who knew there was such power in vulnerability? The rest of the girls, Hannah Davenport, Mariah Kessler and Ginger Jensen were great. They were quite believable and frightening, as young teenage girls who realize their power over the courts and use it to their benefit. I will say that when screaming, make sure that diction is top priority. It was most noticeable with Ginger Jensen when she screams out her line about Abigail drinking Tituba’s Brew. That line is very important in my mind, really enunciate it. The other characters in the show were good, I got the sweetness of Meleah Ridd’s, Rebecca Nurse, but I wanted more of her wisdom and steadiness portrayed. Alex Gubler as Francis Nurse was a bit too external when he first came on the scene, but he quickly won me over when he broke down. Travis Cox was so natural and genuine in his role of Herrick. He really stood out to me amidst the minor players. Gabriela Noble as Tituba was delightful and intense, I wanted to understand her more, again the diction thing. But her scene with Summer Shakespeare as Sarah Good was a welcomed comic moment. The rest of the cast is rounded out with Matthew Hansell as Hathorne, Mitchell Christiansen as Ezekiel Cheever, Gabe and Noah Pederson as Proctor’s sons and Heather Fife playing the violin. The technical staff needs to be mentioned in this review because this show would not have had the impact it did without the lights designed by Carly Waggoner and the Sound by Brook Owen. The set, designed by Dr. Brent Hanson, had the whole ‘less is more’ thing going on and it worked so well. I loved the fabric (silk?) backdrops with the trees painted on them. The whole lighting effect behind them was amazing. The costumes by Andrea Davenport were marvelous and very much of the period. Again the overall design, look and feel of the show was simple, but texturized and had this underlying current of mystic energy. The Crucible is a well done show that is well worth seeing! It runs April 2-4 and 7-11 at 7:30pm, in the Eccles’ Fine Arts Center Main Stage Theater.